Lotoko
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For".
Lotoko, also known by the slang term Script error: No such module "Lang"., is a home-distilled alcoholic drink or moonshine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lotoko is usually made from maize, but sometimes from cassava or plantain. Heads of corn are cut up and boiled into a mash which is then fermented and distilled using improvised stills made from cut-down oil drums. Although it is officially banned because of its high alcohol content (over 50%), its production is widespread in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lotoko production, being a cottage industry, is very low-tech. It provides its mainly female producers with a degree of financial independence.
Health concerns
Script error: No such module "For".
Because of the woody core of the cobs of corn, the alcohol produced contains high levels of methanol, which is toxic.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Lotoko made from cassava or plantains does not carry the same methanol risk.
Local NGOs have expressed concern[1][2] as to its health effects in the communities of Kinshasa, where it costs 200 to 300 FC, compared to 600 FC for commercially brewed beers.
Etymology
Lotoko is a Lingala word and is known country-wide.
References
- ↑ Le "Lotoko", un alcool indigène dangereux pour la santé des Kinois [Lotoko, an indigenous alcoholic drink that's dangerous to the health of Kinshasans]
- ↑ La boisson indigène Lotoko, un danger pour la santé Script error: No such module "webarchive". [An indigenous drink, Lotoko, is a health hazard]
[[Category:Template:Resolve category redirect]]Template:Coord missing/CheckCat
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- All articles needing coordinates
- Articles missing coordinates with coordinates on Wikidata
- Distilled drinks
- Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Adulteration
- Crime in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Alcohol in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Homebrewing