A clear home-distilled grain spirit, strong and faintly smoky, poured at Ethiopian rites of passage. It is also called katikala, and it is served at weddings, funerals and saints’ days from small glasses.
Unlicensed distilling is illegal almost everywhere, and running a still without discarding the volatile heads leaves methanol in the glass — the reason licensed distillers make a cut at all.
What goes into it
- barley, sorghum, maize or teff
- gesho leaves
- water
How it is made
Grain is fermented with gesho into a beer over several days, and that beer is distilled in a clay or metal pot still over a wood fire, often twice. The smokiness comes from the fire and the vessel. Village stills rarely separate the head of the run from the rest.
How long it takes: days to ferment, then distilling
How it is eaten
In small glasses at weddings, funerals, saints’ days and mourning gatherings.
History
Distilled from grain fermented with gesho leaves in village stills; also called katikala, it is served at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
Frequently asked questions
What is Areke?
Areke is a wine & spirit from Ethiopia: clear home-distilled grain spirit, strong and smoky, poured at rites of passage. Distilled from grain fermented with gesho leaves in village stills; also called katikala, it is served at weddings, funerals and saints’ days.
How is Areke made?
Grain is fermented with gesho into a beer over several days, and that beer is distilled in a clay or metal pot still over a wood fire, often twice. The smokiness comes from the fire and the vessel. Village stills rarely separate the head of the run from the rest. It takes days to ferment, then distilling.
Can I make Areke at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Unlicensed distilling is illegal almost everywhere, and running a still without discarding the volatile heads leaves methanol in the glass — the reason licensed distillers make a cut at all.
What goes into Areke?
Barley, sorghum, maize or teff, gesho leaves, water.
How is Areke eaten?
In small glasses at weddings, funerals, saints’ days and mourning gatherings.
