nkho for brewing beer

Alcoholic Apartheid: The Durban System and Racialized Booze Policies in South Africa

June 14, 2022

South African Apartheid lasted from 1948 into the mid 90s, but segregation had deeper roots that came from the beer industry. Starting in European-owned diamond mines, Africans were not allowed to drink alcohol. Later, in Durban, the state came to monopolize native beer production and sales. Funds from beer sales paid for segregation infrastructures and bureaucracies. This system was copied in most of eastern South Africa.

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Aspergillus sake mold

Asian Fermentation Starters: Ancient Molds Making Alcohol​

June 7, 2022

Nearly all traditional Asian alcohols start with a moldy concoction that helps to jump start fermentation. These starters help to convert starch in rice, barley, and other foods into sugar so yeast can perform fermentation. In China, this is qu, in Japan, koji, and in Korea nuruk.

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Waterproof basket

Baskets of Water: The Native American Art of Watertight Weaving

May 30, 2022

All civilizations must develop methods of storing water. Tribes across the American Southwest used baskets for the purpose. Using local materials, native peoples would weave baskets with long necks and then coat the inside with pitch from asphalt or tree resin. These water bottle baskets have been used for thousands of years.

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fermented acidophilus probiotic milk

Acidophilus Milk: Probiotics from Baby Diarrhea for Long Life

May 23, 2022

100 years ago, European doctors began isolating intestinal bacteria from poop. They realized that these microorganisms were vital for health. This was the birth of probiotics-dietary supplements which aim to deliver healthy bacteria to the gut. L. Acidophilus has been one of the most favored bacteria for these health benefits.

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tape fermented rice

Eating Alcohol: Fermented Tapé in South East Asia

May 15, 2022

Tapé is an Indonesian delicacy that can be made from rice or cassava. The starchy foods are fermented into a sweet paste that can have an alcoholic content of up to 8% by volume. These boozy snacks are made traditionally, using fermentation starters called ragi which carry mold and yeast.

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Cuneiform Wine Gestin

Ancient Wine Writing: Cuneiform Tasting Notes from Mesopotamia

May 8, 2022

Modern oenophiles love to read and write about their wine. So how long have people been writing about the vintage? As long as humans have had written language, wine has been a topic. Mesopotamians mentioned wine in contexts of splendor and abundance, even though they were actually beer-drinkers. Wine, of course, is older than writing itself.

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Grape Press

Tradition and Technology: The Early Development of the Wine Press

April 24, 2022

There is great diversity in wine press design and use across space and throughout time. The most primitive forms of pressing, by foot for example, are still in use today. Some technological innovations improved grape juice yield throughout history. Yet assuming that more efficient presses made older methods obsolete ignores the truth. Wine is a marriage of both tradition and technology.

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Drunk Elephants

Drunk Elephants: Do other animals get drunk too?

April 17, 2022

Rumor has it that elephants get drunk from marula fruit. In reality, they are just too big. Fruits will ferment naturally, but only to a low alcohol content. Other smaller animals like flies and bees might get drunk on natural fermentations, but the bigger the animal, the more sober it probably is.

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Ethiopian Honey Wine Tej

The Drink of Ethiopian Royalty: Tej or Honey Wine

April 10, 2022

Ethiopia produces more honey than any other country in Africa. What do they do with it? They make honey wine, or tej. This drink has been consumed by Ethiopians for thousands of years. For most of its history, it was exclusively drunk by royalty. Today, tej is the national drink of Ethiopia.

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Hulu Mur Drink

Sudan’s Ramadan Breakfast Beer: Hulu Mur

April 3, 2022

During the Month of Ramadan, Sudanese Muslims fast together and break fast in the same way. Across the country, everyone drinks hulu mur in the evening, a beverage made by infusing a sorghum bread into water. The mixture is made in the late afternoon, so no alcohol is fermented. Hulu mur serves as a nutritional breakfast and a point of national pride.

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