Uganda’s banana-based booze

The home-brewed “banana beer” known as tonto has legendary status in Uganda, but it’s lost out in recent years to legally sold and increasingly accessible bottled beer. Those who grow bananas used specifically for tonto are also shifting to more commercially viable varieties. But as Ugandan journalist Christopher Bendana tells The World’s Host Carolyn Beeler, the drink is too beloved to lose.

This story originally aired on Jan. 3, 2024.