Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24
AFRICAN BEVERAGES.
They Are Obtained From the Sap Of Pain
Trees and Bananas.


Fro m the Phil sder his Pres.
Rhine wine and lager beer. particularly the
latter, being important beverages in Germany,
il is not 10 be wondered at that by an article IN
a rece Mt number of the Gartenlaube. a high
toned German periodical, the question 10 dis
cussed whether the natives Of the German
colonies in eastern Africa are using similar
spirituous beverages or not, and. il not. which
kinds they are using. il they use any at ALL The
article starts with the statement that. although
lager beer was to be considered NOWADAYS al
the German beverage proper. such beverage
had been known TO the ancient Greeks. who
were manufacturing it after ancient Egyptian
receipts.
The Phnnicians and Car.hagenians. on tbedr
voyages. had made known Egyptian beer in all
parts Of the world to which their commercs
tended. II might not have had the same tasts
as the present lager beer, vet it had been
brewed nevertheless. and 10 the cultured peo-
pie living on the banks OF the Nile in ancient
times the origin of beverage was due that 4
now being used by millions.
To the natives of Africa Of the present time
beer prepared from malt and hops is unknown
although bottled lager beer has reached Ger.
hard Rolls. the well-knewn German traveller in
Africa, even at the oasis OF kufra in the sahara
Yet there exists no lack 81 intoxicating beyer-
ages among the sons Of the dark continent
They are not required 20 wait for the fire.
water Of the Europeans to be sent them.
They understand how 10 prepare spirituous
beverages Of their own and they also become
intoxicated by the Inter. This is only too
frequently the case. as may be seen from the
accounts of foreign travellers in Africa
The Africans make wine and beer, but neither
grape juice IL used for the former nor malt ex.
tract for the latter. Palm trees OF Different
kinds, bananas and millet furnish the m v ma
teriais- Palm wine is made from the can
oozing from the cutoff blossom stems OF the
oily palm tree ard of the cocoa tree IL ia a
pleasant, refreshing beverage and sufficiently
known.
From the fruit Of the banana tree a beverses
is being made in Africa. which they drink there
as wine OF beer. Banana beer is chiefly used
BY the natives Of Uganda, country bordering
on Lake Victoria The people there are yerv
fond of such beer. and when Emin pasha went
to Rubaga to meet King Mtesa he wrote in his
diary: This Is real beer trip, from village 10
village. or rather from beer pot 10 beer pot,
we are marching on" In that country the
manufacture OF the banana beverage is extern
sively going on. DIR. felkin. an English physi-
clan, who formerly lived there, describes The
different kinds of the banana beverage. He
makes distinction between banana beer and
banana wine.
According to his description .'mubisi,"
cooling banana wine, 10 manufactured in the
following manner: A big hole is dug in the
ground, lined by banana leaves. filed with un-
ripe bananas and kept covered by mats and
earth until the fruit has become completely
ripe. Then the bananas are slit. mixed with
fine hay and placed into a large. boat like,
wooden trough. which at one end has empty
ing pipe. After the addition Of some water the
whole is thoroughly mixed by the hand or by
short wooden sticks. Ibereupon the trough 10
covered with banana leaves and the mixture 10
left standing for about one OF two hours. After
the expiration of that time il is taken ont and
through grass sleeves poured into large Gala
bashes. IL is then ready for use and represents
a sweet. agreeable and not intoxicating bever-
age. The fact that just this kind of the banana
beverage is drunk IN large quantities by the
natives explains why Emin Pasha did not see
many drunken men in Uganda and Unjoro.
But il the mubisi is left standing for three
DAYS it undergoes a fermentation and becomes
strongly intoxicating. This wine or beverage
is called ''muenge." II il is filed into bottles
and they are kept well corked at cool place
for several months one obtains sparkling
wine strongly resembling champagne
Mubisi, the principal beverage MADE rom
bananas, can be changed vet in another WAY.
II larger or smaller quantity OF boiled mflies
is added to il and the mixture is left standing
in large earthen pots for two or three oAss sna
stirred from time TO time IL becomes peer.
which, according TO the quantity OF miiies
added, IL more or less Intoxicating.
The beverages made from bananas are not
stored away for a long time. They are mostly
Consumed soon after manufacture. When
being sold they commonly are comparansev
dear. This wine beer is either drunk from
eourd cups or sucked from gourd botuee oy
means of long, nicely made tubues the lower
ends of which are serving, at the same u"e'
for filtering the turbid fluid
A BILL OF SALE Of the stock Of dry goods,
a L