Tonto (Traditional Banana Beer)
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Very ripe bananas (preferably a beer banana variety), peeled — 5 kg (11 lb)
- Roasted sorghum flour — 200 g (1 3/4 cups)
- Dried grass or banana fibre, for straining (or a fine sieve)
- Water — 1 L (4 1/4 cups)
Method
- Peel the ripe bananas and mash them thoroughly by hand or with a sturdy tool in a large basin, traditionally left to soften over the bananas' own juices for a few hours first.
- Add the water gradually and continue mashing and squeezing the fruit to extract as much juice as possible.
- Strain the mashed banana pulp through a clean cloth or fine sieve into a large fermentation vessel, pressing to extract all the liquid.
- Stir the roasted sorghum flour into the strained banana juice to introduce natural fermentation.
- Cover the vessel loosely and leave to ferment at room temperature for 24-48 hours, tasting periodically, until it develops a pleasantly tangy, slightly fizzy character.
- Strain again if desired for a clearer drink, and serve at room temperature in a communal cup, as is traditional.
Introduction: Tonto is a traditional fermented banana beer central to Buganda social and ceremonial life, brewed by squeezing ripe banana juice by hand and fermenting it with roasted sorghum flour.
Cultural Background: Tonto is a traditional fermented banana beer central to Buganda social and ceremonial life, brewed by squeezing ripe banana juice by hand and fermenting it with roasted sorghum flour. It is shared at gatherings, weddings and cultural ceremonies, and the process of making it is itself a communal, skilled tradition passed down through generations.
Tips: Use very ripe, sweet bananas, as their sugar content is what drives fermentation. Taste the tonto periodically during fermentation, as the flavour changes quickly and preferences for sourness vary.
Variations: Some brewers add roasted millet flour instead of, or alongside, sorghum flour. A stronger, distilled version called waragi is made from further processing fermented banana beer, though that is a distinct product. Naturally vegetarian as written. Naturally vegan as written; contains no animal products. Contains alcohol from natural fermentation.
Storage: Best consumed within a day or two of reaching the desired fermentation, kept at room temperature or briefly chilled.
Reheating: Served at room temperature or chilled; not suitable for reheating.
FAQs:
Q: How much alcohol does tonto contain?
A: It is a mild traditional brew, generally lower in alcohol than commercial beer, though strength varies with fermentation time and conditions.
Q: Is tonto the same as waragi?
A: No, waragi is a distilled spirit sometimes made from further processing banana beer or other fermented bases, while tonto itself is the unrefined fermented banana drink.
- Very ripe bananas (preferably a beer banana variety), peeled — 5 kg (11 lb)
- Roasted sorghum flour — 200 g (1 3/4 cups)
- Dried grass or banana fibre, for straining (or a fine sieve)
- Water — 1 L (4 1/4 cups)
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