AKPETESHIE

 

Ghana's traditional liquor Akpeteshie tastes like fire to the non -conversant, burning all the way down the throat to a nervous stomach. Akpeteshie is a homebrewed alcoholic beverage produced in Ghana by distilling palmwine or sugar cane juice. Other names for this drink include apio, ogogoro (in Nigeria), and "kutukù" (in Nzema). In the rural areas, it is common to make a blend of herbs and roots and pour Akpeteshie over it. After one day, the bitters are ready. People claim that this drink is not only tasty, but medic No one drinks 'akpeteshie' and smiles. At best, the reaction is  a frown on the face. Some drinkers acknowledge receipt by blowing out air or pounding the chest.  ‘akpeteshie’ is so bad  that given the chance, it would outmaneuver the heavily advertised liquors on TV and Radios.
The alcohol content is so high that it is almost disgraceful. It rocks the body for the first timer and there is a kind of feeling which is hard to describe, probably a knockout punch in boxing will do. It is almost produced in all the regions in Ghana.

Despite its high content, it is the most preferred drink by some who take hard liquor. Due to its price which is relatively cheaper than other foreign drinks, it is associated with the poor but some say even the well-to-do patronize it but in secret.

HOW AKPETESHIE IS PREPARED

‘Apio’ or ‘akpeteshie’ is distilled mainly from palm wine and sugarcane. Typically the juice is allowed to ferment over a couple of days. Distilling involves applying intense heat to the fermented juice until it turns into vapor before finally passing through a pipe usually made of copper and then into sieved jars. The setup includes two barrels, one with the boiling fermented juice and the other, a barrel filled with cooling water. Without doubt, the defining feature of the drink is the rather high alcohol content.

Packaging is poor as the drink, is not bottled nor sealed and not labeled. 'Apketeshie' is always poured in used and borrowed bottles. If there is one particular alcoholic beverage that does not need advertising, then it is 'AKPETESHIE'.

MILLET BEER ALSO KNOWN AS" PITO"

 

Millet beer, also known as “pito”, is an alcoholic beverage made from malted millet. This type of beer is common throughout Africa.millet beer is one of the most recognized locally made beer in Ghana .it is produced in the northern part of Ghana, upper west and upper east region to be precise because of the abundant cultivating of millet in those mentioned regions. Millet beer is not drunk by only those from the north but it being accepted all over Ghana. Millet beer is used to celebrate occasion like weddings, naming ceremony etc. millet in it nature has some important benefits, While it may not be one of the more popular grains, millet is actually one of the healthiest. Wheat and gluten free and with the most alkaline pH of all the grains, it provides wholegrain nutrition in a versatile package. Millet can be enjoyed both as a sweet porridge and as a savory grain at main meals. The health benefits of millet include heart disease prevention, cancer prevention, digestive health and detoxification Millet is a good source of dietary fiber, which helps mop up unwanted cholesterol in the digestive system. It is also a good source of the cholesterol lowering B vitamin niacin and the blood pressure lowering mineral magnesium. A meta-analysis of 7 studies showed that people with the highest dietary fiber intake had the lowest cardiovascular risk. benefitof.net/benefits-of-millet.However this shows that millet is a necessity for the body. Moreover millet beer or pito  is made by small (household-level) producers, and is typically served in a calabash outside the producer's home where benches are sometimes provided.

Pito can be served warm or cold. Warm pito gets its heat from the fermentation process. Pito brewing can provide an important source of income for otherwise cash-poor households in rural areas. It is never found bottled or canned, and, as a rule, is purchased directly from the household in which it is brewed. Through it fermenting process it then turns into an alcoholic beverage.

CORN BEER OR LOCALLY CALLED "ASAANA"

 

Corn beer locally known as “asaana” made from corn, is a traditional beverage in various cuisines, and is a popular ingredient for the home brewer because it ferments easily. With a few simple ingredients and pieces of equipment that most people already have in their kitchen, you can make a delicious batch of homemade beer. A couple of days and less than 10 steps is all it takes to make a delicious corn beer.
 It is also a drink where when you go to the market and you are exhausted from all the shopping in the sunshine, you stop one of the market women carrying those “asana” and buy a little. Many people, especially today's youth do not even know what it is.

Corn or maize is one of the most popular cereals in the world and forms the staple food in many countries, including the United States and many African countries. Health benefits of corn include controlling diabetes, prevention of heart ailments, lowering hypertension and prevention of neural-tube defects at birth. Corn not only provides the necessary calories for healthy, daily metabolism, but is also a rich source of vitamins A, B, E and many minerals. However corn beer with all the health benefit from corn shows that it indeed good for the body. Corn beer is locally produced in the southern part of Ghana, Greater Accra to be precise. It is easy to prepare, the following is the instruction to how corn beer or asana is prepare and it depends on the quantity you prefer. However after the preparation it is covered and till it get fermented which will then turn into an alcoholic beverage.

Place 1/2 cup of corn, 1/4 cup of wheat berries and 1 1/2 cups of warm water in a blender and puree.

Transfer contents to a large plastic container and add one quart of warm water plus the yeast starter to the mixture.

Cover the mixture and place in a warm, dark area such as the bottom of a cupboard or cabinet for at least 24 hours. The specific temperature is not important; you just do not want the mixture to be cooler than room temperature.

Strain the mixture through two layers of cheesecloth to remove any clumps.

Pour the mixture into a 2 liter soda bottle and securely tighten the bottle top.

Allow the mixture to ferment in a cabinet or cupboard until the bottle becomes hard to the touch and cannot be squeezed in any area.

PALM WINE

 

 

Palm wine has a strong cultural significance among Africans. It is used at important traditional ceremonies like marriages, worship rites and other festivals. Although other types of wine are available, palm wine is irreplaceable for its well known health benefits as well as its cultural significance among Africans, especially the people of West Africa. The term "wine" was originally used for the fermented brews made from grapes. However, it is also used for similar drinks made from other fruits, in which case a distinction is made by using the name of the fruit to qualify the wine. Wine is known to have originated from the Middle East, but it is made and drunk all over the world. Palm Wine is the juice of some varieties of palm trees, including the African oil palm, the Raphia Palm, and the Date Palm.

 However, if we bear in mind that sugar is the material which is fermented to alcohol; it will become clear why there are other various "wines." The juices of these palms contain a lot of sucrose, the table sugar, plus nutrients that are essential for yeast growth. The juices are tapped, usually by climbing the palm trees with loops made from palm fronds. Although some palms are felled and tapped, the quality of wine obtained from them is not considered as good as those from standing trees. Tapping palm trees for the juice is a skilled art. The tapper must know the exact spot to make his incision for the maximum flow of the juice. It must not be too shallow or too deep into the tree. Also, the premium yield of juice is obtained at specific stages of the life of the palm. In the case of the Oil Palm and Raphia Palm, the incision is made at the base of the flower bunch. The incision is fitted with a conical device made from bamboo trees, to direct the flow of the juice into a container attached to the tree.

After about 24 hours, the Palm Wine Tapper goes back to collect the juice into another container. Just like the conventional wine, the palm juice needs to be fermented. But quite unlike the conventional wine, the juice is fermented by wild yeasts from the tree, and those previously present in the container. The amount of alcohol in the wine depends on the stage at which it is drunk. If drunk fresh, it will contain most of its sugar, and so will taste really sweet. Very soon, the fermentation causes very copious bubbling and foaming from the container, and more alcohol is produced. It should be noted that unlike wine made from grapes, the fermentation of palm wine is not controlled. As a result, the alcohol content varies widely. It is also normal practice to dilute the original juice with water, introducing more variability in quality. If the fermentation of the juice is allowed to go further than a few hours, bacteria will start to convert the alcohol in it to a number of acids, such as acetic acid and lactic acid. This transition makes the wine to taste sour after about 24 hours. palm wine helps in enhancing sight.omgghana.com/health-benefits-of-palm-wine

INTRODUCTION

 

Ghana has had four modern breweries for several decades, producing European liquor and Irish stout, and the country imports beers, wines and spirits from all over the world.  In spite of this overflow of foreign beverages, some of its traditional local beers are still produced by backyard brewers and distillers with a heady tradition of brewed and fermented alcohols and beverages produced across the country. Ghanaians do value their own locally manufactured drinks such as millet beer (pito), palm wine, maize beer (asaana), coconut juice and akpeteshie. These alcoholic beverages are manufactured in some part of the regions in Ghana with their own technique of preparation.

However in the southern Ghana by the Ga tribe of Greater Accra Region is known for their capability in the manufacturing of coconut juice, Akpeteshie, asaana (maize beer) and palm wine, the northern Ghana thus the northern region, upper  west and upper east is branded with their high regard for the production of millet beer (pito), also, Somewhere in the western region of Ghana is the undying love for the manufacturing of coconut juice, palm wine, and Akpeteshie. In the restaurants and bars in the cities the drinks on display are all familiar to the international world, and one may need to enquire discretely about the availability of a local specialty, but in remote rural areas the preferred intoxicant is still the clout that shielded the ancestors from the cares of everyday life.