Tej, which is traditionally written as T’ej or Tedj, is a honey wine drunk by the Ethiopians for over 3000 years.
It has been recorded that T’ej and honey wines are thought to be the oldest alcoholic beverage to be produced. Ethiopia is the largest honey producer in Africa with over six million wild beehives that maximize this raw material to make a mead-like wine, the only difference between the classic mead containing honey, water, and yeast is the addition of leaves of a plant named gesho. Geshe scientifically called Rhamnus Prinoides is a bitter-tasting plant, a species of buckthorn that is native to Africa, added to balance out the sweetness of the honey.
The difference between the regular mead and Tej is the fermentation agent, gesho. Unlike mead where yeast is used for fermentation, gesho is used for the fermentation of Tej and it gives the bitter aftertaste that is uniquely Tej’s. Gesho is sold online or from any Ethiopian store near you. In the early days, the gesho leaves were pounded and added to honey and water in a ratio of three to one of water to honey. After all the ingredients are added together, the mixture is covered and left to ferment. Tej typically takes two weeks to ferment, but can be left for up to five weeks to taste more like a potent wine. After two to three days, fuzz and fur will grow on the gesho which represents the bacteria, stir after a week, in the second week the mixture becomes effervescent and the gesho should be removed. It should be left for three weeks covered and then it can be bottled and enjoyed.
Tej of good quality has a yellow color, sweet to taste, and is cloudy and bubbly due to the presence of yeast bacteria from the gesho. The alcoholic content can range from a mere 2.7% to as high as 21% depending on how long it was left to ferment or age. Geshe is packaged in clear bags in the form of stems and sticks which also give the same taste of Tej as the pounded leaves used in ancient times. Tej is widely drunk in Tej houses both in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but you can always make yours. Berele is the traditional container used to drink Tej, it is shaped with a long neck and a rounded base designed to keep insects away from your Tej while drinking. It is also believed that the long neck of the berele keeps the wine from getting you intoxicated quickly. There is this saying and belief in Ethiopia that no two cups of Tej are the same. This statement is probably true and can be attributed to the fermentation process, the physical and chemical environment, the composition of the micro-flora, and a whole lot of science.
