Tongba

Tongba is a millet-based alcoholic beverage found in the mountainous region of Nepal and the neighbouring Darjeeling and Sikkim districts of India. It is the traditional and indigenous drink of the Limbu people of eastern Nepal. Tongba is prepared by cooking and fermenting whole grain millet. The millet is then dried; traditionally it is stored under a roof for about six months. It is consumed in a unique way: the fermented millet is put in a con... more

Tongba is a millet-based alcoholic beverage found in the mountainous region of Nepal and the neighbouring Darjeeling and Sikkim districts of India. It is the traditional and indigenous drink of the Limbu people of eastern Nepal. Tongba is prepared by cooking and fermenting whole grain millet. The millet is then dried; traditionally it is stored under a roof for about six months. It is consumed in a unique way: the fermented millet is put in a container, also traditionally called a Tongba, and boiled water is poured in it to the brim. It is then left undisturbed for about five minutes. Once the five minutes has passed it is ready to drink; a fine bamboo straw with a blind end, but perforated on the side to act as a filter, is inserted into the container to suck out the warm water and alcohol from the millet grains. More hot water is added as the tongba becomes dry, and the process is repeated until the alcohol is exhausted. less