do you know the Matango? Cameroon is an African country with a wide geological and cultural diversity, with beaches, deserts, mountains, jungles and savannahs, making it a special place, inhabited by more than two hundred ethnic and linguistic groups.
Within its gastronomy there is a drink known as Matango that is part of its ceremonies and is since ancient times part of its rich culture and idiosyncrasy. Join us in this opportunity to discover this African-rooted liquor.
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what is Matango?
Matango is a palm wine made from the sap of several palm trees and although it does not contain alcohol, the more it is left to ferment, the higher its alcohol content will be, and its flavor can be much stronger, while if it is consumed at the right time we can find a sweet and watery liqueur.
Origin of Matango
The origin of Matango could be said to be remote, although there are no precise records of its birth, for Cameroon it has always existed in some form. The palm has been used by African peoples for medicinal purposes, the oil of the various types cultivated since ancient times have had various uses, but as previously mentioned it was mainly used as a remedy to combat various ailments. 
Palm oil has also been used as an ingredient in the elaboration of food and of course it is also an ally when it comes to making beverages. The Yambassa people in Mbam use the leaves of the traditional oil palm to treat tooth decay, while palm wine mixed with other ingredients is used as a remedy for male impotence, chlamydia, gonococcal infections, stomach pain, jaundice and measles.
The Mvele, a Beti subtribe, prepares a meal of palm hearts for new mothers, as it stimulates milk flow. Other tribes put it to various uses including black oil from the palm kernel for skin and hair care and it is an indispensable and widespread ingredient in breast milk for newborns. Charcoal obtained from the palm kernel serves as a tooth whitener, and communities in southern Cameroon use it as toothpaste, and the ashes of burnt oil palm bark soothe boils.
Thus, the palm has always been a very important product, most oil palms are grown in palm groves within mixed forests, and each palm grove is usually tended and harvested by a particular family, which passes it on from generation to generation.
what is Matango made from?
Matango is a palm wine made from the sap of various palm trees using sugar palm or oil palm, among other diversities, for its elaboration. 
It does not contain alcohol, but its natural fermentation gives it an alcohol content of between 4% and 10%. Its flavor is usually somewhat sweet, but as it completes its fermentation process it becomes a little sour.
How Matango is made
The elaboration of the matango is handmade, and for the people of Cameroon it is an art and honor, the first thing that is done is to climb to the top of the palm and locate the point where the plant is preparing to sprout an inflorescence. 
Once the bud is located, a machete and a sharp knife are used to clean and cut the bark to block the development of the flower and favor the formation of a natural reservoir where the plant’s sap accumulates.
Wait for 2 days for the tank to fill, and after this time a bottleis tied under the bundle and connected to the tank by making a small hole. Fermentation begins after a couple of hours while the containers are still hanging from the tree and according to the taste and flavor that the master beekeeper wants the product to have. If the matango remains in the bottle for a long time, it turns into vinegar, so it cannot be stored for more than 2 to 3 days at room temperature,the liquid continues to work and transform constantly.
How to drink Matango correctly
Matango has an important ceremonial role in several occasions, wedding guests receive large quantities of this palm wine during the days before the wedding and, therefore, before the initiation ceremonies of the young and during the funeral rituals. 
The matango often constitutes a kind of dowry that the bride’s family offers to the groom’s family, who, in turn, never arrives at the meeting without a couple of cans of the precious beverage. Out of respect for the souls of the deceased, the drinking sessions begin by pouring a small amount of matango from each person’s container onto the floor.
In Cameroon there are meeting places to drink matango, which are open to women, although the latter usually retire to a more discreet consumption, leaving the men to their debates on the workings of the universe. Matango is a thick whitish liquid that has a low alcoholic content, and if drunk in abundance produces a stimulating effect, usually consumed in glasses with ice.
