Saturday, 07 August 2021 05:47

‘Burukutu’ brewers thrive in northern Nigeria despite trouble with ‘Hisbah’ police

Rate this item
(0 votes)

In Kano state, Janet Peter stirs a thick and frothy brown liquid inside a large cast iron pot, worrying all the while that religious police will come and chase her from the restaurant where she operates.

Peter is among many local people carrying on the tradition of brewing “burukutu”, a popular homemade beer with a vinegar-like flavour made with sorghum.

Brewers like her are a target for the Hisbah, the religious police who enforce Islamic sharia law that is in place in 12 northern states.

But Peter, and those who consume burukutu, say it is healthy, natural and part of local tradition. Thick and heavy, burukutu is widely consumed as food in rural parts of the north.

“I grew up watching my mother and members of my family do the formulation back in my village,” Peter told Reuters in the Hausa language. “I moved to town and could not find a job and I decided to start making this.”

A four-litre bucket costs 500 naira ($1.22) - far cheaper than commercially brewed beer - and the 48-year-old mother of two sells between 40 to 80 litres a day.

Brewing - from sorting the sorghum to washing, fermenting, blending and cooking - takes five days. Burukutu typically has an alcohol content of 3% to 6%.

“We are pleading to the government to leave us to continue with this business,” Peter said. “People love it and enjoy it.”

Religious police chased her from her last brewing site and she now works from a restaurant that provides cover from the Hisbah, for now.

Sulaiman Ali, a security guard, said burukutu is filling and free of the chemicals he said are found in bottled beer and ogogoro, a local gin.

“This one is a natural thing, cooked and it is okay,” he said as he sipped from a wooden bowl.

 

Reuters

January 16, 2025

USSD debt: NCC approves disconnection of FCMB, Zenith, 7 other banks

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has authorized Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) – MTN, Airtel, Globacom,…
January 11, 2025

Ohanaeze Ndigbo gets new President-General

John Azuta-Mbata, a former senator, has been elected as the new president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,…
January 15, 2025

Essential skills needed to make money online in 2025

Melissa Houston Due to technological advancements and global digitization, there are growing opportunities to make…
January 04, 2025

Shy man cuts off 4 fingers instead of telling boss he wanted to quit his…

A 32-year-old Indian man admitted to cutting off four fingers on his left hand to…
January 14, 2025

Boko Haram’s strategy created 60,000 child fighters, military chief says

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has disclosed that over 60,000 children are among…
January 16, 2025

Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 468

Israel, Hamas ceasefire accord followed by airstrikes on Gaza, residents say Israel intensified strikes on…
December 25, 2024

Stem cell therapy to correct heart failure in children could 'transform lives'

Renowned visionary English physician William Harvey wrote in 1651 about how our blood contains all…
January 08, 2025

NFF appoints new Super Eagles head coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has appointed Éric Sékou Chelle as the new Head Coach…

NEWSSCROLL TEAM: 'Sina Kawonise: Publisher/Editor-in-Chief; Prof Wale Are Olaitan: Editorial Consultant; Femi Kawonise: Head, Production & Administration; Afolabi Ajibola: IT Manager;
Contact Us: [email protected] Tel/WhatsApp: +234 811 395 4049

Copyright © 2015 - 2025 NewsScroll. All rights reserved.