Siwa (beer)

Traditionally home-brewed, siwa remains locally popular during social events, after (manual) work, and as an incentive for farmers and labourers.

Basic ingredients are water; a home-baked and toasted flatbread commonly made from barley in the highlands,[1][2][3] and from sorghum, finger millet or maize in the lowlands;[4] some yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae);[5] and dried leaves of gesho (Rhamnus prinoides) that serve as a catalyst.

[citation needed][6] The brew is allowed to ferment for a few days, after which it is served, sometimes with the pieces of bread floating on it (the customer will gently blow them to one side of the beaker).

The three traditional bowls in which siwa is served are: clay beakers (shekhla or wancha), hollowed gourds, and, less frequently, cattle horns.

The siwa itself is conserved in large clay vases, called etriro, which tend to get replaced with plastic drums.

Frequently, adolescent boys or girls drop in to sell kollo (roasted grains) or buqulti (germinated beans)[9] seasoned with senafiche (home-made mustard).

Socialising in an Inda Siwa , the local beer house
Typical setup for siwa serving: the beer is served from the clay vase ( etriro ), beakers of various facture on the shelf (clay, gourd, plastic, tin); at left the central wooden column ( amdi ) of the hidmo house, and at right part of the wooden door
Invitation for siwa and injera on a farm field in Lafa, Dogu’a Tembien
Inda Siwa at Werqamba, Tembien . The red cloth (sometimes a beaker or even a sheet of paper) indicates that siwa is available
In Inda Siwa , one may often admire vernacular architecture – here the wooden door of a hidmo house