🇸🇿 Eswatini Cuisine

Tjwala Besiswati

Traditional Swazi Beer

Prep Time 5 days
Servings 10
Difficulty Hard

A mildly alcoholic, thick, tangy brew made from fermented sorghum and maize, traditionally served at ceremonies and communal gatherings in a shared calabash.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Mix sorghum malt with warm water in a large clay pot. Stir thoroughly and cover with a cloth.
  2. 2 Allow the mixture to ferment in a warm place for two days, stirring once daily. Bubbles will begin to form on the surface.
  3. 3 On the third day, cook maize meal into a thin porridge. Let it cool to lukewarm, then add to the fermenting sorghum.
  4. 4 Cover and allow to ferment for two more days. The mixture will become increasingly sour and slightly fizzy.
  5. 5 Strain through a coarse cloth to remove grain residue. The resulting beer should be thick, cloudy, and mildly sour.

Did You Know?

At the annual Incwala ceremony, the king drinks tjwala first before anyone else may partake, symbolizing his role as the spiritual leader of the nation.