Tej is a home-made honey wine from Ethiopia, used only at special occasions. It is yellow, sweet and has different tastes depending on the region and honey of origin. The fermentation vessel is smoked to give the honey wine a smoky flavour. Also hopes and ginger may be added for flavouring. Honey (and for cheaper versions a mixture of honey and sugar) are diluted with water (1:2 to 1:5) and left to ferment for 2 - 3 weeks, until it reaches an alcohol content of 7-14% Vol. The dominant yeasts are Saccharomyces sp., which are introduced with the pollen content of the honey.
