Traditional beer-making in Tanzania offers a wide variety of unique flavors derived from the fruits used to create them. In the Northeast, on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the Chagga tribe is known for mbege, a brew made from bananas and sprouted finger millet.
Making mbege is a labor-intensive process that is traditionally reserved for women. These brewers first mash and boil ripened bananas, then leave the mixture to ferment in a wooden barrel until white bubbles appear on the surface. Once the bananas have fermented, they add a powder of sprouted, sun-dried finger millet along with bark from the quinine tree (msesewe).
The final flavor is pretty sweet, from all the bananas, with a slight bitter aftertaste from the quinine. The drink is often likened to something in between a wine and a beer.
Mbege is not only a tasty beverage, but a socially important one. Members of the Chagga tribe consume it at weddings, business meetings, and funerals.
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Sources
- www.tanzania-experience.com/blog/mbege-social-beer-of-chagga-tribe/
- www.researchgate.net/publication/305826318_Brewing_Technique_of_Mbege_a_Banana_Beer_Produced_in_Northeastern_Tanzania
- allafrica.com/stories/201606131195.html
- www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/mbege-banana-beer/
- epic-curiousity.com/2014/06/mbege-baby-brewing-banana-beer.html