Umqombothi Recipe / Traditional African Beer Recipe
Umqombothi beer is traditionally prepared outside the home .
Ingredients:
Equal measures of:
- mealie meal (corn meal)
- crushed mealie malt (corn malt)
- crushed sorghum malt.
- Warm water.
(The mealie malt provides a lighter-toned beer with a mellower flavour. The sorghum malt provides a darker beer.)
Method:
The ingredients are mixed in a cast-iron pot (potjie)
The mixture is left overnight and will start fermenting and bubbles appear. A sour odour can be detected.
A small portion of the corn-flavoured water is removed and put to one side.
The remaining mixture is then cooked until a crusty sediment forms. This product is known as isidudu and can be eaten as a porridge.
When making beer, the isidudu is left to cool for a day.
After the mixture has cooled, it is poured into a large plastic vat. The liquid that was set aside is added to the vat.
A handful of sorghum malt and a handful of mealie malt is added to the vat.
The brew is stirred with a traditional stirring spoon called an iphini. The vat is covered with a lid and blanket (to retain heat). The vat is put in a warm place overnight, to encourage fermentation.
The traditional method of testing to see if the brew is ready is to light a match close to the vat. If the match blows out quickly, the brew is ready. If the match remains lit, the brew is not ready. This is because the fermenting mixture is producing large amounts of carbon dioxide, which does not allow for combustion of the match.
When the brew is ready, the mixture is filtered through a large metal strainer, to collect the excess corn. The sediment at the bottom of the vat is known as intshela. The intshela is added to the filtered beer, to give extra flavour.
The corn solids, collected from filtering, are squeezed out. This corn is usually cast onto the ground for chickens. The brewer of the beer traditionally gives thanks to the ancestors while casting the corn.
Once the beer has been strained, it is poured into a large communal drum known as a gogogo. It is ready for sharing with friends and family. When guests arrive at the brewer's home to taste the beer and join in the celebration, they traditionally bring a bottle of brandy, as a symbol of gratitude.
Recipe and info source: Wikipedia
