Tej

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A berele glass containing unfiltered tej
Ethiopian tej (mead).

Tej (Amharic: ጠጅ, pronounced [ˈtʼədʒ]) is a mead or honey wine brewed and consumed in Ethiopia. It is flavored with the powdered leaves and twigs of gesho (Rhamnus prinoides), a hops-like bittering agent which is a species of buckthorn. [1]

A sweeter, less-alcoholic version called berz, aged for a shorter time, is also made. The traditional vessel for drinking tej is a rounded vase-shaped container called a berele, which looks like a Florence flask. Tej has a deceptively sweet taste that masks its high alcohol content, which varies greatly according to the length of fermentation.

Tej is usually homemade, but throughout Ethiopia it is available in tej bets (literally, "tej houses", or pubs).

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  1. ^ [http://www.bioline.org.br/request?ft01028 Article in Food Microbilogy by Professor Bekele Bahiru et al, "Yeast and lactic acid flora of tej, an indigenous Ethiopian honey wine: Variations within and between production units"]