Southern Africa · Drink
Maheu (Fermented Sweet Maize and Sorghum Brew)
A traditional, probiotic sweet-and-sour beverage crafted from thin white maize porridge inoculated with malted sorghum.
The story
Cherished across both Shona and Ndebele communities, maheu serves as an essential hydrating restorative taken to the fields during the sweltering midday heat. Unlike commercial instant varieties, traditional home-brewed maheu relies on the wild amylase enzymes and lactic acid bacteria residing on raw malted grains. An essential technical aspect often overlooked is allowing the cooked maize porridge to cool below 45°C before pitching the malt, preserving the vital diastatic enzymes needed to convert complex starches into fermentable sugars.
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