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Birz
Fresh honey water
Birz (ብርዝ): fresh, unfermented honey water from Gojjam and Gondar, the alcohol-free cousin of tej
In Gojjam and Gondar, where honey is plentiful, birz is poured for children, for guests who do not drink, and at church feasts and weddings beside the tej. It starts the same way as honey wine, with honey stirred into water, but it is drunk fresh within hours, so it stays sweet, mild and completely alcohol-free. Good, flowery honey is everything here; it should taste like a cool, floral lemonade without the lemon. Because birz is honey and water, it will start to ferment by itself if left warm, so drink it the same day and keep it in the fridge until you pour it. Honey is not suitable for babies under 12 months. Chef's tip: dissolve the honey in a little warm water first; stirred straight into cold water, it sinks to the bottom in a sticky lump.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 oz runny honeya floral, light honey is best
- ¾ cup warm waterboiled and cooled to hand-hot
- 3 ¼ cups cold waterboiled and cooled, or still bottled water
- 8 ice cubes (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 4 oz runny honey in a large jug, pour in ¾ cup warm water and stir for about a minute until fully dissolved, with no streaks at the bottom.
1 minStep 2: Stir in 3 ¼ cups cold water. Taste: it should be sweet but still refreshing; add a spoon more honey or a splash more water to suit.
Step 3: If your honey has bits of wax or comb in it, pour the birz through a fine sieve or cloth.
Step 4: Chill for at least 30 minutes and keep it cold. Serve over 8 ice cubes the same day. Leaving it out on the counter or keeping it overnight is the mistake to avoid: the yeasts in honey wake up, it turns fizzy and sour, and it starts becoming alcoholic. Pour any leftovers away rather than keeping them.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 95 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does birz take?
- About 10 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of runny honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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