Urwagwa (Banana Beer)
At a glance
| Type of drink | Banana beer |
|---|---|
| Made from | Ripe bananas, with lightly roasted ground sorghum |
| Fermentation | About 24 hours |
| Also called | Urwagwa in Rwanda and Burundi |
Source: Wikipedia: Banana beer1
What It Is
Urwagwa is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting the juice of mashed bananas. Rwanda’s traditional beers are brewed mostly from bananas and sorghum: urwagwa is the banana beer, and ikigage, also called amarwa, is the sorghum beer.1,2
How It Is Made
Brewers use ripe East African Highland bananas. To ripen them, unripe bananas can be covered with leaves in a pit warmed by a fire for four to six days. Two types are mixed, about one third harsh-tasting igikashi and two thirds milder igisahira. The peeled bananas are kneaded until soft, and the juice is filtered, diluted with water and mixed with lightly roasted ground sorghum. It ferments for 24 hours and is filtered again before serving or bottling.1
Its Place in Rwandan Culture
The New Times recounts that King Yuhi III Mazimpaka forbade his family to drink banana beer after a servant gave an order while drunk on urwagwa. Since then, banana beer has ranked below sorghum beer: when a cultural function calls for alcohol, it is ikigage. The wider population kept brewing and drinking urwagwa, and it is served with ikigage and ubushera at Umuganura, the harvest festival.3,4
Frequently Asked Questions
What is urwagwa?
Rwandan banana beer, made from ripe bananas mixed with roasted sorghum flour.
How long does urwagwa ferment?
About 24 hours. It is then filtered again before serving or bottling.
Which bananas are used?
Ripe East African Highland bananas, about one third igikashi and two thirds igisahira.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Banana beer
- Tropicultura: Factors affecting traditional beer production in Rwanda
- The New Times: Tracing the origins and role of bananas in the Rwandan culture
- The New Times: How Umuganura is transcendental and unifying in Rwandan society
Facts checked 9 November 2026. Prepared by InvestRwanda.com for general information.
