Tella or talla ( Amharic ጠላ; Oromo: farsoo, Tigrinya: siwa) is a traditional beer from Ethiopia. It is brewed from various grains, which can change depending on location. [1] [2] These typically include barley or teff. Depending on region, wheat, sorghum, or corn may be used; spices can also be added. [1] [3] Dried and ground shiny-leaf buckthorn leaves are used for fermentation. [4] The drink is made in a clay pot. The pot is washed with a plant called grawa. [3] After rinsing it is smoked with weyra [3] or Abyssinian rose. [1] The alcohol content of tella is usually around 2–4 volume percent. [4]
Tella is often home-brewed. [5] [3] It may be offered in tella houses (tellabet) or served in the home. [3] In urban areas, the drink is used on special occasions like holidays or weddings. [4]
Tella was commonly used for kiddush by the Beta Israel ( Ethiopian Jews). Tella was used because wine was often unavailable. Due to the availability of wine in Israel, Ethiopian-Israelis generally use wine for kiddush instead of tella. [6]
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