Drinking Traditions of Ethiopia: 6 Local Beverages That Define a Nation

Ethiopia’s highland climate and diverse topography shape a drinking culture rooted in grain, honey, and botanicals. Barley, teff, sorghum, and wildflower honey underpin rustic brews and meads, while gesho (Rhamnus prinoides) lends bitterness and structure.

Rhythms of the Ethiopian calendar—saints’ days, weddings, and post-harvest feasts—anchor communal drinking in homes, village houses, and city taverns. From Addis Ababa to historic towns like Gondar and Lalibela, tradition and terroir meet in the cup.

Tej is Ethiopia’s iconic honey wine, a mead fermented from honey, water, and gesho twigs or leaves that act like a native hop. Small-scale producers mix local honeys—often with beeswax and wildflower notes—then ferment in clay or glass for days to several weeks, depending on temperature and strength. Alcohol content typically ranges from 6–11% ABV, yielding a golden, lightly viscous drink with floral aromas, a gentle gesho bitterness, and a soft, lactic edge from wild yeasts.

Tej is served in a distinctive round-bellied glass called a berele at neighborhood tej bets (tej houses) and restaurants. It anchors weddings, holiday feasts such as Meskel and Timkat, and convivial meals of injera and stews. In Addis Ababa you’ll find both rustic and refined versions; in Gondar, long known for festive court culture, small taverns pour house-made batches. Travelers can taste regional nuance—acacia-forward in some areas, darker forest honey in others—while locals debate sweetness versus dryness like wine enthusiasts anywhere.

Tella is a farmhouse beer brewed from a flexible mix of grains—barley, teff, sorghum, or maize—bittered and stabilized with gesho. Malted or roasted grains are mashed, then the fermenting vessel is often smoke-cured with local wood to sanitize and impart a faint phenolic note. A starter called ersho (from a previous batch) kickstarts fermentation. The result, usually 2–6% ABV, pours cloudy amber to brown with a bready aroma, herbal bitterness, and gentle sourness from mixed cultures.

Tella is everyday social glue, brewed by households and sold in tella bets across highland regions. Farmers drink it after fieldwork; communities share it at saint’s day gatherings and neighborhood celebrations. In Addis Ababa, low-lit tella houses hum in backstreets; in Harar’s quarters you’ll encounter small-scale brewers offering regional styles with sorghum or teff emphasis. Expect a rustic, nourishing pint that pairs naturally with spicy lentils and collards during communal meals.

Areqe—also spelled areki or araki and known as katikala in some communities—is a clear, home-distilled spirit derived from fermented grain mashes or from tella itself. Using simple pot stills with metal or clay kettles and coiled condensers, distillers separate heads and tails by smell and taste, collecting the clean heart. Strength varies widely, but 30–50% ABV is common. The flavor is grainy and slightly earthy, with occasional herbal undertones from fermentation with gesho; it is not typically an anise spirit like Levantine arak.

Areqe is poured in small shots at family gatherings, wedding toasts, and cool highland mornings. In rural Amhara and Oromia, it’s a mark of hospitality; in cities like Addis Ababa, discreet bars and homes serve house-distilled versions, sometimes gently infused with local herbs like tena adam (rue) for aroma. Expect a warming, forthright spirit—more akin to Eastern European samogon or Georgian chacha—sipped slowly rather than mixed, and usually accompanied by snacks or bread.

Borde is a thick, porridge-like fermented beverage made from a blend of grains such as barley, maize, and sorghum. Cooks gelatinize and cool a series of grain mashes, then inoculate with ersho to spur quick, lactic-forward fermentation. Within about a day, borde reaches 1–3% ABV. It is consumed fresh because its lively microbes and residual starches make it highly perishable. Flavor is tangy, cereal-rich, and faintly smoky if the vessel has been smoke-cured.

In agrarian communities, borde functions as both drink and sustenance, replacing a meal during long workdays. Women often prepare and sell it in neighborhood stalls and weekly markets, serving it in large mugs or gourds. You’ll find it in the highlands around Gondar and Lalibela as well as in smaller towns, where its thickness and gentle acidity refresh in warm midday sun. For travelers, borde offers a window into Ethiopia’s pragmatic, nutrient-dense brewing traditions.

Shamita begins with roasted barley flour whisked into water, sometimes accented with spices such as black cumin, fenugreek, or a pinch of berbere or mitmita for warmth. The slurry is inoculated with ersho and ferments for only hours to a day, producing a low-alcohol beverage of roughly 1–2% ABV. The roast adds toasty, coffee-like hints; lactic fermentation contributes a clean sourness and soft effervescence. The body is thinner than borde but still satisfying.

Shamita is an affordable, quick-brewed drink for market days, neighborhood gatherings, and simple lunches. It pairs naturally with flatbreads and vegetable stews, offering refreshment without heaviness. In Addis Ababa and regional towns, you’ll encounter shamita in modest eateries and tella houses that also serve grain beers. Its appeal lies in immediacy: brewed in the morning, poured by afternoon, and best consumed the same day.

Cheka is a robust, sour-fermented beverage from southwestern groups such as the Konso, Gamo, and Dirashe. Recipes vary, but typically include sorghum or maize, roasted grains, leafy greens, and sometimes chili; plant ash may be added to adjust pH and nutrients. The mash ferments for two to three days in gourds or clay, developing a layered acidity and light carbonation. Alcohol content usually sits around 2–5% ABV, with a dense, meal-like texture.

Cheka is social nutrition—poured from calabash gourds into shared cups and drunk throughout the day. Around the town of Konso and the highlands south of Arba Minch, it anchors community work parties and rites of passage. The flavor is bold, tangy, and herbal, reflecting local agriculture and the resourceful use of every part of the harvest. Travelers who taste cheka encounter a living expression of climate-savvy brewing adapted to the dry, terraced landscapes of Ethiopia’s southwest.