Cloudy fermented sugarcane juice, sour and low in alcohol, brewed on Madagascar’s east coast by the Betsimisaraka and drunk at village gatherings.
Producing alcohol at home is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the ferment relies on wild yeasts on the cane and in the vessel.
What goes into it
- sugarcane juice
- sometimes fruit or honey
- water
How it is made
Cane is crushed and the juice left in a covered vessel for two to four days, where wild yeasts already on the cane ferment it into a cloudy, sour, mildly alcoholic drink. It is drunk while still working and does not keep beyond a few days.
How long it takes: two to four days
How it is eaten
From a shared container at village gatherings and celebrations.
History
Brewed on the east coast by the Betsimisaraka from pressed cane juice left to ferment for a few days, and drunk at village gatherings.
Frequently asked questions
What is Betsa-betsa?
Betsa-betsa is a wine & spirit from Madagascar: cloudy fermented sugarcane juice, sour and low in alcohol. Brewed on the east coast by the Betsimisaraka from pressed cane juice left to ferment for a few days, and drunk at village gatherings.
How is Betsa-betsa made?
Cane is crushed and the juice left in a covered vessel for two to four days, where wild yeasts already on the cane ferment it into a cloudy, sour, mildly alcoholic drink. It is drunk while still working and does not keep beyond a few days. It takes two to four days.
Can I make Betsa-betsa at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Producing alcohol at home is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the ferment relies on wild yeasts on the cane and in the vessel.
What goes into Betsa-betsa?
Sugarcane juice, sometimes fruit or honey, water.
How is Betsa-betsa eaten?
From a shared container at village gatherings and celebrations.
