Tej (Ethiopian Honey Wine)

Submitted by Jessica K

"Tej is a wine made from fermented honey and a special kind of hops called gesho. It is similar to mead, this is a shorcut way to make it. Ethiopians believe tej was the wine used for a toast between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. from what4eats.com For zaar world tour 2006!"

 

• Ready In: 10mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 1 pitcher
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 cups white wine (pinot grigio, riesling, something light and sweet)
• 2 cups water
• 1⁄4 cup honey

directions

1. Stir all ingredients together until well blended. serve well chilled.

Reviews

[hopelesst]

While this looks like a tasty wine drink, and even a quick approximation of mead, it is missing a vital component of Tej: Gesho. Tej is closer to an ale than most meads. Ales are made with sweet grain sugars and bitter hops to balance the sweetness. Tej is a honey wine made with gesho, the leaves and stems of and Ethiopian thorn bush. It's a bitter herb that counters some of the sweetness from the honey to create a more balanced and complex drink. Tej traditionally uses the wild yeast naturally found in the air of the person brewing it. It is also bottled while it is still fermenting, so the flavors continue to develop after bottling. This means that no two household's Tej, or even two indibidual bottles, will taste the same. Tej does happen to be an incredibly simple mead to brew. Most Tej is made in small batches on kitchen counters in Ethiopia.

 

[livelya]

I LOVE this recipe--always a big hit when I have the girls over. <br/><br/>Check out my post on other white wine mixers @ http://trumi.net/conscientious-hedonism/white-wine-heaven-sweet-and-easy-make-mixers

 

[Diana A.]

We made this with Rhine. It actually did taste alot like mead. We had it on a very hot day and it was wonderfully refreshing.

 

[Leslie]

This was an experience in wine LOL! I thought it was pretty sweet, but of course it would be with the added honey. It was a fun addition to my African meal. Thanks for posting!

 

[stormylee]

Very good! I too like dry wines, but (rather surprisingly!) I really liked this! I did use dry white wine since that was what I had, made 1 serving (1 dl wine, 1 dl water, 2 teaspoons honey), and ended up with a lovely summer drink - the wine was not just "watered down" but made into a new smooth drink with the added flavour of honey. Thanks much for posting!