Tej

For other uses, see Tej (disambiguation).

A berele glass containing unfiltered tej

Ethiopian tej (mead)

Tej (Amharic: ጠጀ^?, pronounced [ˈtʼədʒ]; Tigrinya: ሜሰ^?, mes, Oromo: daadhi) is a mead or honey wine that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is flavored with the powdered leaves and twigs of gesho (Rhamnus prinoides), a hops-like bittering agent that is a species of buckthorn. Tej is usually homemade, but throughout Ethiopia it is available in "tej houses" (tej betoch, singular tej bet (ጠጅ ቤት)).

The traditional vessel for drinking tej is a rounded vase-shaped container called a berele, which looks like a Florence flask. Tej has a deceptively sweet taste that masks its high alcohol content, which varies greatly according to the length of fermentation. Berz is a sweeter, less-alcoholic version of tej, and is aged for a shorter time.

See also

• Tella, an Ethiopian beer
• List of Ethiopian dishes and foods

External links

• A recipe for Tej
• All About Tej
• "Honey Wine" in Every Ethiopian Language