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.jpg) Nepalese chhaang brewed from rice | |
| Type | Rice beer |
|---|---|
| Origin |  China (Tibet) Bhutan India Nepal |
| Ingredients | Rice |
| Related products | Tongba |
Chhaang orchhyang (Tibetan:ཆང་,Wylie:chang,Nepali:छ्याङ,Newar:थो:,Limbu:ᤌᤡᤡ: (Thhee in Limbu) is aNepalese andTibetanalcoholic beverage popular in parts of the easternHimalayas among theYakkha,Limbu,Dura,Newar,Sunuwar,Rai,Bhutia,Gurung,Magar,Sherpa,Tamang,Tharus andLepcha communities. Among theLepcha, it is called Chi.[1] It is also known asjaarh in Nepal.[2]
Chhaang is consumed by the ethnicallyTibetan,Ladakhi andNepalese, and to a lesser degree, by the people of the neighboring nations ofPakistan andBhutan. It is usually drunk at room temperature in summer, but is often served piping-hot in brass bowls or wooden mugs when the weather is colder. TheLimbu people of eastern Nepal call the drink Thee: and a separate unique drink is calledTongba.[3][4]
Chhaang is a relative ofbeer.Barley,millet (finger-millet) orrice grains are used to brew the drink. Semi-fermented seeds of millet are served, stuffed in a barrel ofbamboo called adhungro. Boiling water is then poured in and sipped through a narrow-bore bamboo tube called apipsing.
When the boiled barley has cooled, someyeast or driedbarm is added and it is left to stand for two or three days after fermentation begins. This concoction is calledglum. The barm consists of flour and, inBalti, often hasginger andaconite added to it.[5]: 341 After fermentation is complete, water is added to the brew and it is then ready for consumption.[6]
InLahaul theglum is pressed out by hand instead of by filtering, yielding a rather cloudy drink. The residue ofmalt can be pressed through a strainer and then mixed with water or milk and used inbaking bread or cakes.[5]: 154
NearMount Everest ofNepal,chhaang is made by passing hot water through fermenting barley, and is then served in a large pot and drunk through a woodenstraw.[7]
This beverage is similar to the traditional drink of theLimbus,mandokpenaa thee.[8]
Nepalesejand refers to the turbid liquor which is obtained by leaching out the extract with water from the fermented mash. Unlikechhang ortongba,jand is served in largemugs. These alcoholic beverages are generated using a traditionalstarter calledmurcha.Murcha itself is prepared by usingyeast andmold flora of wildherbs in cerealflours.[9]
The plant name Aconite may refer to two plant genera in the familyRanunculaceae, namelyAconitum andEranthis, although Eranthis is known more usually asWinter Aconite. The plants used in the brewing ofChhaang inBaltistan andLadakh are, however, almost certainly referable toAconitum species - notably the localAconitum ferox - which have a long history of use in the folk medicinal systems of Asia.[10][11] Aconitum species are among the most virulentlypoisonous plants known, containing a variety of extremely toxicalkaloids, includingaconitine andpseudaconitine.
The use ofAconitum as an additive in beer-brewing is therefore a practice fraught with the danger of fatal poisoning and should on no account be undertaken by any individual attempting to replicate a traditionalChhaang recipe. Although individualAconitum species vary somewhat in the degree of their toxicity, all are poisonous and, when used in traditional herbal medicine, are invariably pre-treated in various ways intended to minimise their toxicity, while retaining their assumed therapeutic properties. Nevertheless, numerous fatalities have occurred resulting from such medicinal use e.g. in certain Chinese medicinal soups consumed for their supposed tonic effects, which include augmenting physical strength, boosting the immune system, and dispelling 'wind' and 'dampness'.[12]
Chhaang is said to be the best remedy to ward off the severe cold of the mountains. It reputedly has many healing properties for conditions like thecommon cold,fevers,allergic rhinitis, andalcoholism among others.
According to legend, chhaang is also popular with theYeti, or Himalayan Snowmen, who often raid isolated mountain villages to drink it.[13]
Drinking and making offerings of chhaang are part of many pan-Tibetan social and religious occasions, including settling disputes, welcoming guests, andwooing.[14]
Aconitum species have been used in China as an essential drug in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for 2000 years.
Indian drinks | |
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| Tea | |
| Alcoholic | |
