Tella facts for kids
Tella or talla is a special traditional drink from Ethiopia. It's a type of beer that people make from different grains. The most common grains used are teff and sorghum. Sometimes, people also use barley, wheat, or maize to make it. They might even add different spices to change the taste!
To make Tella, a special plant called shiny-leaf buckthorn is used. Its dried leaves help the drink ferment, which is how it gets its unique flavor. Sometimes, Tella can even taste a little smoky. This smoky flavor comes from adding bread to the mix and from the special pots used for fermenting. These pots are often smoked over olive wood or Abyssinian rose wood. Tella usually has a small amount of alcohol.
Discovering Tella: Ethiopia's Traditional Brew
Tella is often made right at home by families. This is called home-brewing. You can also find Tella in special places called tellabet (Tella houses). These are usually just regular homes where people gather to drink Tella, chat, and spend time together. It's a bit like a community meeting spot!
Tella's Role in Ethiopian Jewish Traditions
For a long time, Tella was very important to the Beta Israel, who are Ethiopian Jews. They used Tella for a special ceremony called kiddush. Kiddush is a blessing or prayer, often said over a drink, to make a holy day or Sabbath special.
Tella was used because kosher wine, which is usually used for kiddush, was hard to find in Ethiopia. Today, many Ethiopian-Israelis live in Israel. Since wine is easy to find there, they usually use wine for kiddush instead of Tella.
