Bamboo Wine · Highland Brew
Ulanzi
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A batch of ulanzi can go from freshly tapped bamboo sap to a fermented, mildly alcoholic drink in as little as four or five days.
Sap tapped from young African lowland bamboo shoots during the rainy season ferments naturally within days into a sweet, faintly fizzy, low-alcohol wine reminiscent of sparkling cider. It's sold in local bars and roadside stalls across Tanzania's Southern Highlands, including around Mbeya, often straight from the collection barrel.
Why it's made this way: Bamboo tapping and fermenting is a long-standing livelihood in the Southern Highlands, with the ulanzi trade providing a major share of household income for many families in the bamboo-growing districts around Mbeya, Njombe and Iringa.
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