{"id":1221,"date":"2022-04-10T19:47:54","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T19:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/?p=1221"},"modified":"2022-10-05T20:13:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T20:13:40","slug":"ethiopia-tej","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/ethiopia-tej\/","title":{"rendered":"The Drink of Ethiopian Royalty: Tej or Honey Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1221\" class=\"elementor elementor-1221\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2a0672d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2a0672d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1d109e2\" data-id=\"1d109e2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9a7c00f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9a7c00f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-large\">The Drink of Ethiopian Royalty: Tej or Honey Wine<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-23152eb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"23152eb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1fd138f\" data-id=\"1fd138f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e84eb5e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e84eb5e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?fit=768%2C434&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-1225\" alt=\"Ethiopian Honey Wine Tej\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C578&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C434&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C867&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1156&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03899-2-scaled.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4f16bfe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4f16bfe\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-79cba0d\" data-id=\"79cba0d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-384b1a1\" data-id=\"384b1a1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4edbb2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d4edbb2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Queen, worker, drone. The social hierarchy of honeybees\u2013rigid as the regular hexagonal architecture of the hive they build. Each bee has her own distinct role. Eggs are inevitably laid. Honey piles up incessantly. The bee can\u2019t help herself\u2013these behaviors are hardwired into her nature. While humans might not share a hive mind, there are unmistakable analogues to honey hoarding in the human world. In fact, for thousands of years, the governments of Ethiopia used social hierarchies for the same purpose bees do. To collect honey! Ethiopian royalty extracted payments of honey from peasants as a tax, so they could enjoy the beverage of kings, fermented honey wine or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej.<\/span><\/i><\/p><p><i style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">, like most fermented honey products, has an ancient history. Natives of the Horn of Africa have been drinking the wine for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs speak of their southern neighbors as rich in beeswax. For as long as the sweet alcohol has been enjoyed, the royal governments of the land have been restricting its consumption to upper classes and demanding a honey tribute from the lower ones. <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"> acted as a social marker of the elite, while the masses were stuck drinking <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tella <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\">beer. The story of Ethiopian <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"> is a two-way tale\u2013first, royalty supported itself with a honey tax, second, the consumption of <\/span><i style=\"font-size: 14px; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; color: var( --e-global-color-text );\"> indicated who was royal in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The King\u2019s Honey<\/h2>\n<p>Ancient Ethiopians were not so different from worker bees in that they accumulated honey collectively. The similarity stops there, however, because Ethiopian peasants paid their honey taxes under far more duress than a honey bee bumbling through flowers. Throughout history, various governments have controlled apiculture differently, but most sought to hoard its sweet crop monopolistically.<\/p>\n<p>As early as the 1st century CE, the travel writings of the Roman geographer <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/persuasionpast\/home\/strabo-geography-on-ethiopia\">Strabo made note<\/a> of the fact that Ethiopian royals drank honey, while peasants stuck to beer. \u201cThe drink of the people in general is an infusion of the paliurus (buckthorn); that of the tyrants is mead; the honey being expressed from some kind of flower.\u201d While elites had already developed a taste for imported grape wines from distant lands like Syria by the 3rd century, the preeminence of tej stuck throughout history.<\/p>\n<p>The fifteenth century saw a government official known as the Taj Azaj who was explicitly tasked with the management and maintenance of the royal tej supply. The imperial monopoly of honey and its wine would only be broken by royal favor itself, as some royal gifts of land in the late 1700s came with the right to make tej. Such arrangements were the exception. Most land holders had to pay their land tax in boxes or bags of honey. In the northern territory Tigray, where locals call honey ma\u2019har and honey wine mes, communities had to pay a tax they called mar-directly equating honey with money. <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7e510b2\" data-id=\"7e510b2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b1b3ade elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b1b3ade\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3b7efde\" data-id=\"3b7efde\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f2186cf\" data-id=\"f2186cf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-47ab7d1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"47ab7d1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C731&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1223\" alt=\"Ethiopian Honey Wine Tej\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C548&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1096&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1462&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03837-2-scaled.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-282e61f\" data-id=\"282e61f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0f848e9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0f848e9\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4595544\" data-id=\"4595544\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-310d44f\" data-id=\"310d44f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c2a83d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c2a83d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only recently has the royal monopoly began to dissipate. In the late 1880s, a court case under the auspices of Emperor Yohannes IV overturned a thousand years of precedent. A commoner, Getahun Gesse, accused of making <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> without permission, was liberated. The emperor lifted the law against peasants making the drink. The nobles were furious. Allegedly, they believed, \u201dIn the time of our fathers and grandfathers, persons found with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in their houses were deprived of their land.\u201d (from Pankhurst 63) The massive change only lasted until 1889, when the next emperor assumed the throne. Under Menelik II, the palace\u2019s monopoly was restored tunil 1909 when public<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bars opened up in the capital Addis Ababa. Honey taxes were erased in 1935.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why were royals so obsessed with monopolizing <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? More than just tasting sweet and delicious, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">served military, social, and medical purposes. Royalty had a vested interest in maintaining control of the production of the alcoholic wine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During military campaigns, soldiers were provided rations of honey wine to consume. Supporting an army\u2019s habit for the sweet drink took a supply of honey that could only be guaranteed by the entire population. The government tax on honey and monopoly on <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, therefore, solidified military loyalty. Commoners would be stealing from the military if they consumed their own honey, and soldiers were happy to drink a beverage of noble status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to its longstanding noble association, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became imbued with cultural significance. Drinking <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was so caught up in elite status, that status could be determined both by the kind of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one drank and the cup from which one drank it. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tej <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fermented from Tigrayan white honey was of the highest quality, and some made <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from stores of honey aged more than a decade. Fine beakers of glass were a sign of status, but the most powerful men would drink their share out of a hollowed rhinoceros horn. Tej, in this regard, was truly a drink of the kings. By coveting the stuff, they were better able to demonstrate their nobility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lastly, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was believed to have medicinal qualities. As the drink aged, in some cases for many years with an annual fortification of honey, it would decay into a vinegar that was believed to be a special medicine. The bitter leaves and barks that were used in the fermentation of the drink and even the interaction of the drink with horn cups were believed to have healing powers. The royalty had to ensure they would have access to the most refined and special versions of honey and wine for their health\u2013particularly Menelik II who was notoriously paranoid of poison.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4647b56\" data-id=\"4647b56\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b179e89 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b179e89\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ea01c1c\" data-id=\"ea01c1c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6a3aa46\" data-id=\"6a3aa46\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b51e26a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b51e26a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"581\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-2.jpg?fit=800%2C581&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1228\" alt=\"A Postcard with M\u00e9nilek II from\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-2.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-2.jpg?resize=300%2C218&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-2.jpg?resize=768%2C558&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">A Postcard with M\u00e9nilek II from https:\/\/www.si.edu\/object\/archives\/components\/sova-eepa-1985-014-ref4399<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-aa77e92\" data-id=\"aa77e92\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-19a65a4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"19a65a4\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d973738\" data-id=\"d973738\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ff54747\" data-id=\"ff54747\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7fa596b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7fa596b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making Tej<\/span><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tej is a simple honey wine with some uniquely Ethiopian twists. Like all meads, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> starts in a beehive. Ethiopian hives, or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kofo<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, are traditionally cylinders up to a meter long formed out of ash and cow manure. A bizarre material, the combination of refuse may have insulating and insecticide properties. These cylinders are capped on the end with a flight hole allowing bees to enter and exit freely. During times of scarcity and drought, the bees would sometimes be fed flour to keep the colony alive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beekeepers can harvest their crop of honey up to 3 times in a year, depending on the kind of honey. The greatest and most coveted harvest is that of white honey in Tigray which occurs in September. This white honey is made by bees that feast on the aromatic nectars of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">labiate <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plants in the mint family. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other honeys can be harvested in November or May. Once harvested, the honey is traditionally stored in sacs known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lakwota<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to honey, Ethiopian <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is made with the leaves or stems of a plant called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gesho<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and sometimes another called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tsado<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gesho <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is the shiny-leaf buckthorn or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rhamnus prinoides.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The leaves or twigs can be boiled in water to extract the compound (unsurprisingly named) <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">geshoidin which gives <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a distinct flavor and underlying bitterness. The gesho plant also provides important microbes for fermentation. The same plant is also a main ingredient in local <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tella <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">beer. In other words, gesho is Ethiopian hops.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To actually make <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one part honey is cut with water, frequently around 5 parts, and left to ferment for three to six days. The actual duration of fermentation is weather dependent and can last up to 20 days during colder months. Some processes involve skimming scum off of the top of the mixture throughout the fermentation. The gesho is either added to the pot at the beginning of the process, or a portion of the fermenting honey is removed and boiled along with the twigs and then later re-added. After the drink is fully fermented, it is filtered and consumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because the drink sources its microbiome from twigs, the actual yeast and bacteria composition can differ. However, traditional fermenting yeast <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saccharomyces cerevisiae<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and bacteria <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lactobacillus <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are the most prominent in most examples.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Certain alternative methods involve adultering the honey with cane sugar during times of scarcity or high demand. Some regional <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> makers also treat the fermenting vessels prior to use in order to infuse different flavors into the wine. Some smoke the pots with olive wood while others coat the interior with spurge sap. The sap imparts a bitter flavor in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without one set recipe, the wine\u00a0 can vary widely in chemical properties. It is typically acidic, although not always within a given range. In terms of alcoholic content, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tej<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can range anywhere from 7-11% alcohol by volume, with outliers as low as 2% and as high as 20%.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1bff853\" data-id=\"1bff853\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-392346b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"392346b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e6d42f3\" data-id=\"e6d42f3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5175611\" data-id=\"5175611\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-afe5fc3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"afe5fc3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-1.jpg?fit=780%2C1024&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1227\" alt=\"Dried leaves of Rhamnus prinoides\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-1.jpg?w=800&ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-1.jpg?resize=229%2C300&ssl=1 229w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-1.jpg?resize=780%2C1024&ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/tej-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1008&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Dried leaves of Rhamnus prinoides\n\nfrom https:\/\/www.si.edu\/object\/rhamnus-prinoides:nmnhbotany_14889868<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4e88f4f\" data-id=\"4e88f4f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-872c1eb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"872c1eb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-56c80e7\" data-id=\"56c80e7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a60f24e\" data-id=\"a60f24e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-97103cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"97103cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Today, Ethiopia is Africa\u2019s largest producer of honey, yet only a fraction of it sells in international markets. Well over half of the honey produced domestically goes directly into the production of\u00a0<i>tej<\/i>. For this reason, it has justifiably earned its name as the national drink of Ethiopia. This is even more impressive considering the diversity of locally brewed booze that exist around the country:\u00a0<i>tella<\/i>,\u00a0<i>borde<\/i>,\u00a0<i>korefe<\/i>,\u00a0<i>ogol,\u00a0<\/i>and\u00a0<i>booka<\/i>\u00a0to name a few.\u00a0<\/p><p>With such a range of methods over such a long period of time,\u00a0<i>tej\u00a0<\/i>is more of a moving target than a set beverage. It requires honey and\u00a0<i>gesho<\/i>\u00a0but the manner in which they are combined can differ. No two\u00a0<i>tej<\/i>\u00a0are the same. The drink can be cloudy and bitter or clear and bright. The honey that goes into it has a huge say in how the drink will finally taste. Particles of pollen from regional flowers will filter down to the bottom of a glass as a reminder that this is a natural product.\u00a0<\/p><p>Its intoxicating properties beguile the drinker behind a sweet and sticky liquid. Indeed, some modern Ethipians are inclined to cut the wine with sparkling water in order to stave off the oozing feeling of honey drunkenness. Yet for hundreds of years,everyday Ethiopians were not allowed to sip upon the sweetness. Such a history of exclusivity and social cache gives\u00a0<i>tej<\/i>\u00a0a tantalizing allure. If you are tempted to try the honey wine, you\u2019ll have to go to Ethiopia, or at least Washington D.C., where the largest population of Ethiopians exists outside of the country itself.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7a7390f\" data-id=\"7a7390f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4d46d11 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4d46d11\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1248700\" data-id=\"1248700\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1256f2b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1256f2b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4d0f369\" data-id=\"4d0f369\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-074a54b\" data-id=\"074a54b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f30b13b elementor-share-buttons--view-icon elementor-share-buttons--skin-gradient elementor-share-buttons--shape-square elementor-grid-0 elementor-share-buttons--color-official elementor-widget elementor-widget-share-buttons\" data-id=\"f30b13b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"share-buttons.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_facebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on facebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_twitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on twitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_linkedin\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on linkedin\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_reddit\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\taria-label=\"Share on reddit\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fab fa-reddit\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3a879ce\" data-id=\"3a879ce\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b58be82 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b58be82\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f82381a\" data-id=\"f82381a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-adcff3c\" data-id=\"adcff3c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c601032 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c601032\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-1226\" alt=\"t'ej or tedj honey wine\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C511&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/DSC03795-scaled.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b7277e2\" data-id=\"b7277e2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ff47885 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ff47885\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b9f80f7\" data-id=\"b9f80f7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6e66b25\" data-id=\"6e66b25\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de8dde9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de8dde9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Sources Cited<\/h2><p>African Business July 20th 2012 \u2022 Ethiopia , &amp; Collins, T. (2020, October 21). Honey: Ethiopia’s liquid gold. African Business. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https:\/\/african.business\/2012\/07\/economy\/honey-ethiopias-liquid-gold\/<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fentie, Eskindir Getachew, et al. “Cereal-and fruit-based Ethiopian traditional fermented alcoholic beverages.” <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foods<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 9.12 (2020): 1781.<\/span><\/p><p>Lyons, Diane. “Tej Consumption and Production in the Commensal Politics and Political Economy of States in Northern Highland Ethiopia.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology (2021): 1-32.<\/p><p>Pankhurst, Richard. “Innovation and Misoneism during the Reign of Emperor Yo\u1e25ann\u01dds IV (1872\u20131889).” Aethiopica 8 (2005): 48-71.<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sahle, H., et al. “Assessment of honey production system, constraints and opportunities in Ethiopia.” <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pharm Pharmacol Int J<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 6.1 (2018): 42-47.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-cbea491\" data-id=\"cbea491\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-85bf0a3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"85bf0a3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d9def36\" data-id=\"d9def36\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95787bb elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"95787bb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"2175\" class=\"elementor elementor-2175\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5fc71df elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5fc71df\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e60443c\" data-id=\"e60443c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e767035 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e767035\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Read More:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7e9f2983 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7e9f2983\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2b20ebf4\" data-id=\"2b20ebf4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bde8c4e elementor-grid-2 elementor-grid-tablet-2 elementor-grid-mobile-1 elementor-posts--thumbnail-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-posts\" data-id=\"bde8c4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{"classic_columns":"2","classic_columns_tablet":"2","classic_columns_mobile":"1","classic_row_gap":{"unit":"px","size":35,"sizes":[]},"classic_row_gap_tablet":{"unit":"px","size":"","sizes":[]},"classic_row_gap_mobile":{"unit":"px","size":"","sizes":[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"posts.classic\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-posts-container elementor-posts elementor-posts--skin-classic elementor-grid\">\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-682 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-distillation category-hobbyist category-liquor category-moonshine category-technology entry has-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/homemade-still\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?fit=768%2C491&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-66\" alt=\"How to Build a Backyard Moonshine Still\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?w=2500&ssl=1 2500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?resize=300%2C192&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?resize=1024%2C655&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?resize=768%2C491&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?resize=1536%2C982&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?resize=2048%2C1309&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DSC0908628229.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/homemade-still\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tBuilding a Backyard Still\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tMay 25, 2021\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>Figure out what kind of still you think you can build with your god-given abilities and resources. If you can weld, you can make pretty much anything. If you can solder, you can piece together a still as well. If you can\u2019t do either of these things, call a friend who can. Consider, as well, what kind of alcohol you want to produce. Vodka? Make a reflux still. Gin? Maybe stick to a pot still.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/homemade-still\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Building a Backyard Still\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-1078 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-americas category-history category-technology entry has-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/fixed-air\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?fit=768%2C332&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-82\" alt=\"Benjamin Franklin Fixed Air\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?w=2500&ssl=1 2500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?resize=300%2C130&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?resize=1024%2C442&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?resize=768%2C332&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?resize=1536%2C664&ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?resize=2048%2C885&ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC0267928229.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/fixed-air\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tThe Founding Fathers and Fixed Air: the origins of carbonated drinks\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tFebruary 13, 2022\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>Modern soda was made possible by the discovery of an Englishman named Joseph Priestley. A close friend of Benjamin Franklin, the chemist discovered how to artificially introduce carbon dioxide into water. While early scientists thought the drink had medicinal benefits, the discovery heralded the start of the soda industry including the founding of Schweppe\u2019s in 1783. Surprisingly, carbonated drinks had close ties with the founding fathers. <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/fixed-air\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about The Founding Fathers and Fixed Air: the origins of carbonated drinks\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-807 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-europe category-items category-religion entry has-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/monteith\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"588\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?fit=768%2C588&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-92\" alt=\"Silver Monteith\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?w=1600&ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?resize=300%2C230&ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?resize=1024%2C785&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?resize=768%2C588&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/monteith2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1177&ssl=1 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/monteith\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tChill a wine glass, baptize a baby, use a Monteith!\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tOctober 6, 2021\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>The monteith was a multifunctional piece that accompanied wine drinking. Its distinguishing purpose was to cool wine glasses which were rested in its bowl and held firm by their feet at its scalloped rim. The rim could be removed and the silver basin became a punch bowl. The basin could also be used as a rinse for communal wine glasses. Strangely enough, they were also used for baptism.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/monteith\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Chill a wine glass, baptize a baby, use a Monteith!\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-post elementor-grid-item post-874 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-americas category-cactus category-mexico category-wine entry has-media\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail__link\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/cactus-wine\/\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__thumbnail\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/drinkingfolk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/DSC00890-3.jpg?w=768&ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-10\" alt=\"Cactus Wine\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__text\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-post__title\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/cactus-wine\/\" >\n\t\t\t\tCactus Wine for the Very Thirsty\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__meta-data\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-post-date\">\n\t\t\tNovember 7, 2021\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-post__excerpt\">\n\t\t\t<p>In the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, indigenous peoples have long used the fruit of various cactus species to make wine. The prickly pear cactus makes a wine called Colonche in the Mexican Altiplano. In the Sonoran desert, natives use saguaro cactus fruit and organ pipe cactus fruit to make nawait wine. The fruit is almost always peeled and crushed and then left to ferment. These wines are still made today in some communities, but have lost some of their traditional meanings. <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<a class=\"elementor-post__read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/cactus-wine\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Cactus Wine for the Very Thirsty\" tabindex=\"-1\" >\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9ab8ef6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9ab8ef6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0db6746\" data-id=\"0db6746\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21bf336 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"21bf336\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">EXPLORE BEVERAGES BY REGION<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f7dfc25 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f7dfc25\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-633c2cd imt\" data-id=\"633c2cd\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{"background_background":"classic"}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ea835af tti elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ea835af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/category\/europe\/\">EUROPE<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-feb6dae imt\" data-id=\"feb6dae\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{"background_background":"classic"}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b3b0ab tti elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4b3b0ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/category\/americas\/\">AMERICAS<\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8fa9627 imt\" data-id=\"8fa9627\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{"background_background":"classic"}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9805e6b tti elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9805e6b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/category\/africa\/\">AFRICA<\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<article class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-25 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-325fb84 imt\" data-id=\"325fb84\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{"background_background":"classic"}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b96d36 tti elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1b96d36\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drinkingfolk.com\/category\/asia\/\">ASIA<\/a><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201,157,74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-mead","category-wine","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Drink of Ethiopian Royalty: Tej or Honey Wine - DrinkingFolk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ethiopia produces more honey than any other country in Africa. 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