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Tej
Tej (from Amharic: ጠጅ, romanized: t'äǧ, pronounced [ˈtʼədʒ]; Tigrinya: ሜስ, romanized: més; Oromo: Daadhi) is a honey wine, like mead, that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has an alcohol content generally ranging from 7 to 11%. It is often home processed and consists of three main ingredients; honey, water and a medicinal shrub called "gesho" (Rhamnus prinoides). Tej is also available commercially to buy in many different types. It is generally consumed during social events such as festivals or weddings, and religious events like Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash). Consequently, tej forms an important part of Ethiopian society and culture and is considered the national drink of Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, tej is often homemade or served at tej houses, and is often served in a flask-like pitcher or bottle, called a berele. A different beverage, berz, is Ethiopian honey water.
Tej has an extensive history in Ethiopian society and is thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever produced. Although tej is largely consumed in Ethiopia, it is not restricted to Ethiopia. Fermented honey drinks are thought to be some of the oldest alcoholic beverages in existence. Tej has been consumed for generations in other countries including Eritrea and other variations of fermented honey beverages have been made throughout the continent, for example other honey meads such as Tanzanian wanzuki and Kenyan muratina.
It is not known exactly when honey, water and gesho were first mixed together to create tej. However, excavations at Beta Samati, ancient Aksumite site, have found evidence of the consumption of wine, suggesting the existence of tej for many centuries. By the 16th century it was being used to honor warriors, as when Emperor Sarsa Dengel let the hero Aqba Mikael drink tej in his presence.
Prior to the 1900s, tej was only consumed by the King and others in his presence.[contradictory] It was also only produced in the houses of ruling classes. Honey, the key ingredient in the production of tej, was received as a tax and land rent from the other working classes during that time period. It is now made and available to the broader Ethiopian population and has become the national drink of Ethiopia.
One of the first western written accounts of Ethiopia was created by Father Francisco Álvares, a Portuguese priest that lived in Ethiopia with his mission for six years in the 1500s. He wrote of his experience with Ethiopian wine, specifically mentioning that 'wine of honey' was the best of all. He also recounted a celebration he attended which involved the consumption of tej. He detailed the fact that they were encouraged to continuously drink copious amounts of the honey wine during the celebration.
Another Portuguese missionary, Jeronimo Lobo, had experience with tej in Ethiopia in the 1600s. He wrote that the Ethiopian people commonly drank beer and mead, and people generally drank in excess when gathered together. He also mentioned that it was considered poor manners to allow guests to go without a drink and that the tej was always served by a servant.
Hormuzd Rassam, an Iraqi-Assyrian Assyriologist, wrote of his own experiences with tej in his book published in 1869. After a meeting with the Ethiopian emperor at the time, Emperor Theodorus, he was offered a large bottle of old and clear tej. He was requested to drink it despite his aversion towards it, previously describing tej as so sour it was undrinkable. He tried some and stated he enjoyed it more so than any other alcoholic beverage he had tried previously in Ethiopia.
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Tej
Tej (from Amharic: ጠጅ, romanized: t'äǧ, pronounced [ˈtʼədʒ]; Tigrinya: ሜስ, romanized: més; Oromo: Daadhi) is a honey wine, like mead, that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It has an alcohol content generally ranging from 7 to 11%. It is often home processed and consists of three main ingredients; honey, water and a medicinal shrub called "gesho" (Rhamnus prinoides). Tej is also available commercially to buy in many different types. It is generally consumed during social events such as festivals or weddings, and religious events like Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash). Consequently, tej forms an important part of Ethiopian society and culture and is considered the national drink of Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, tej is often homemade or served at tej houses, and is often served in a flask-like pitcher or bottle, called a berele. A different beverage, berz, is Ethiopian honey water.
Tej has an extensive history in Ethiopian society and is thought to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever produced. Although tej is largely consumed in Ethiopia, it is not restricted to Ethiopia. Fermented honey drinks are thought to be some of the oldest alcoholic beverages in existence. Tej has been consumed for generations in other countries including Eritrea and other variations of fermented honey beverages have been made throughout the continent, for example other honey meads such as Tanzanian wanzuki and Kenyan muratina.
It is not known exactly when honey, water and gesho were first mixed together to create tej. However, excavations at Beta Samati, ancient Aksumite site, have found evidence of the consumption of wine, suggesting the existence of tej for many centuries. By the 16th century it was being used to honor warriors, as when Emperor Sarsa Dengel let the hero Aqba Mikael drink tej in his presence.
Prior to the 1900s, tej was only consumed by the King and others in his presence.[contradictory] It was also only produced in the houses of ruling classes. Honey, the key ingredient in the production of tej, was received as a tax and land rent from the other working classes during that time period. It is now made and available to the broader Ethiopian population and has become the national drink of Ethiopia.
One of the first western written accounts of Ethiopia was created by Father Francisco Álvares, a Portuguese priest that lived in Ethiopia with his mission for six years in the 1500s. He wrote of his experience with Ethiopian wine, specifically mentioning that 'wine of honey' was the best of all. He also recounted a celebration he attended which involved the consumption of tej. He detailed the fact that they were encouraged to continuously drink copious amounts of the honey wine during the celebration.
Another Portuguese missionary, Jeronimo Lobo, had experience with tej in Ethiopia in the 1600s. He wrote that the Ethiopian people commonly drank beer and mead, and people generally drank in excess when gathered together. He also mentioned that it was considered poor manners to allow guests to go without a drink and that the tej was always served by a servant.
Hormuzd Rassam, an Iraqi-Assyrian Assyriologist, wrote of his own experiences with tej in his book published in 1869. After a meeting with the Ethiopian emperor at the time, Emperor Theodorus, he was offered a large bottle of old and clear tej. He was requested to drink it despite his aversion towards it, previously describing tej as so sour it was undrinkable. He tried some and stated he enjoyed it more so than any other alcoholic beverage he had tried previously in Ethiopia.