A village-distilled white spirit made from palm wine or maize, sold in sachets and jerrycans across Cameroon and drunk in shots. It is illegally distilled in bush stills and has been banned periodically by the authorities.
This is unlicensed distilling on improvised equipment, illegal in Cameroon and elsewhere, and the reason it is banned is that skipping the cut leaves methanol and other volatiles in the drink.
What goes into it
- palm wine, maize or cassava as the base
- nothing else
How it is made
A fermented base — palm sap that has turned, or a maize mash — is heated in an improvised still, often a drum with copper or plastic tubing run through a water bath, and the vapour condensed. Nothing is discarded, so the volatile first fraction goes into the bottle with everything else.
How long it takes: a day, from an already-fermented base
How it is eaten
In shots from a small glass or straight from a sachet.
History
Illegally distilled in bush stills and periodically banned by Cameroonian authorities, odontol is sold in sachets and jerrycans across the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is Odontol?
Odontol is a wine & spirit from Cameroon: village-distilled white spirit made from palm wine or maize, drunk in shots. Illegally distilled in bush stills and periodically banned by Cameroonian authorities, odontol is sold in sachets and jerrycans across the country.
How is Odontol made?
A fermented base — palm sap that has turned, or a maize mash — is heated in an improvised still, often a drum with copper or plastic tubing run through a water bath, and the vapour condensed. Nothing is discarded, so the volatile first fraction goes into the bottle with everything else. It takes a day, from an already-fermented base.
Can I make Odontol at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. This is unlicensed distilling on improvised equipment, illegal in Cameroon and elsewhere, and the reason it is banned is that skipping the cut leaves methanol and other volatiles in the drink.
What goes into Odontol?
Palm wine, maize or cassava as the base, nothing else.
How is Odontol eaten?
In shots from a small glass or straight from a sachet.
