Cloudy sorghum beer, sour and thick, drunk from a shared pot. It is brewed from germinated sorghum and was long the ritual drink at Rwandan naming and dowry gatherings.
Home brewing of alcohol is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the ferment relies on a culture living in pots used continuously.
What goes into it
- sorghum, sprouted and dried
- water
- sometimes a portion of a previous brew
How it is made
Sorghum is soaked and sprouted over several days, dried and ground, then mixed with water and left to sour before being cooked. It ferments a few days more in a covered vessel, and is served warm and unstrained while still working. It turns undrinkable within a couple of days.
How long it takes: five to seven days from grain to pot
How it is eaten
From a shared pot, sometimes through reed straws, at naming ceremonies and dowry gatherings.
History
Brewed from germinated sorghum and long served at Rwandan ceremonies; it was the ritual drink at naming and dowry gatherings.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ikigage?
Ikigage is a wine & spirit from Rwanda: cloudy sorghum beer, sour and thick, drunk from a shared pot. Brewed from germinated sorghum and long served at Rwandan ceremonies; it was the ritual drink at naming and dowry gatherings.
How is Ikigage made?
Sorghum is soaked and sprouted over several days, dried and ground, then mixed with water and left to sour before being cooked. It ferments a few days more in a covered vessel, and is served warm and unstrained while still working. It turns undrinkable within a couple of days. It takes five to seven days from grain to pot.
Can I make Ikigage at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Home brewing of alcohol is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the ferment relies on a culture living in pots used continuously.
What goes into Ikigage?
Sorghum, sprouted and dried, water, sometimes a portion of a previous brew.
How is Ikigage eaten?
From a shared pot, sometimes through reed straws, at naming ceremonies and dowry gatherings.
