Mbege is a beer made of banana (
Musa spp.) and finger millet (
Eleusine coracana). It is the most popular indigenous alcoholic beverage in northeastern Tanzania, and plays an important role in the economy of the region. In this study, we
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Mbege is a beer made of banana (
Musa spp.) and finger millet (
Eleusine coracana). It is the most popular indigenous alcoholic beverage in northeastern Tanzania, and plays an important role in the economy of the region. In this study, we observed and recorded a detailed traditional technique for brewing
mbege. We observed that
mbege production was divided into three major steps:
nyalu preparation,
mso preparation, and mixing. Fermented porridge made of ripened banana, called
nyalu, was used as a source of yeasts. As a source of fermentable sugars, a sweet porridge made of germinated finger millet called
mso was used. In
mso preparation, a brewing technique to enhance the effectiveness of saccharification was used. After the preparation, these two types of porridge were mixed. The ethanol concentration of the mixture increased when it was fermented for 6 h, and it then became
mbege. It was supposed that yeasts in the
nyalu converted fermentable sugars in the
mso into ethanol. We found that the brewing technique used in the production of
mbege in northeast Tanzania was similar to that used in southern Tanzania. We also demonstrated that the stem bark of
Rauvolfia caffra, which was called
msesewe and used as an additive in
mbege production, accelerated the fermentation of
nyalu and therefore increased the rate of ethanol production in the brewing of
mbege. This result was consistent with the traditional knowledge in the field about the effect of
msesewe on
mbege production.
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