Central Africa · Drink
Lotoko (Traditional Fermented Cassava and Maize Spirit)
A potent, crystalline moonshine distilled from fermented cassava mash and germinated maize, offering pungent earthy notes and fiery warmth.
The story
In the forested Equateur province and northern DRC, Lotoko is brewed by local distillers for communal celebrations, rites of passage, and adult gatherings. Village producers rely on wild fermentation of sun-dried cassava and malted maize to yield high-proof alcohol using rudimentary stills. A crucial technical detail is strictly discarding the volatile first condensate fraction, which contains dangerous concentrations of methanol produced from pectin breakdown in the cassava tubers.
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