Thobwa is a

Malawian This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Malawi de ...

and

Zambian Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are th ...

fermented drink This is a list of fermented foods, which are foods produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms. In this context, Fermentation in food processing, fermentation typically refers to the fermentation of sugar to ethanol, alcohol using yeas ...

that has a milky appearance, a cereal taste and a grainy texture. It is made from white

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

and is popular in all parts of the country. The name thobwa means "sweet beer", and although it is non-alcoholic it can be left for five days and it will turn to ''mowa'' or beer.

Preparation

Thobwa is made by boiling water with ''m'gaiwa'' (whole grain white maize flour) until it makes ''phala'' (porridge). More water is then added and brought to a rolling boil for about 15 minutes. After this the mixture is left to cool until warm and at this point a handful of ''maŵele'' (millet flour) is added. This mixture is now left in a ''mbiya'' (big clay pot) in a cool place for two days before being served as thobwa.

Drinking and etiquette

Because thobwa is made using maize flour it has a cereal taste and is filling. Many Malawians use this drink as energy for the day and it is sold everywhere out of recycled plastic bottles in the towns/cities, and from clay pots in the villages. Thobwa can be found all year round, however it is mainly served in the hot months (September-November), and is particularly served to welcome guests visiting a compound. Huge quantities of thobwa are consumed at weddings as a celebratory drink.

References

{{reflist, 2 Maize-based drinks Malawian cuisine

Preparation

Drinking and etiquette

See also

References