Tej (an alcoholic honey beverage)
Here in the East, we usually refer to tej as “honey wine.” Well, that’s wrong. “Calling it a wine is a misnomer, as it’s more similar to a boozy, sweet after-dinner drink,” Vynnel explains, and made from “smoky, earthy unprocessed honey.” Though I failed to get into the drink’s sweet, potent taste, Ethiopians love it so much that tej is considered the national drink. Maybe I just didn’t try the right one. Charles tells me that “the best tej in the country is found in the areas where the highest-quality honey is produced (usually in the north).” Tej is typically served in glasses resembling a laboratory beaker. Its yellow color comes in part from the addition of powdered gesho, a species of buckthorn that lends a hoppy quality.
Its Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups white wine (pinot grigio, riesling, something light and sweet)
- 2 cups water
- 1⁄4 cup honey
Preparations
Stir all ingredients together until well blended. serve well chilled.
Tej
