Local Drinks

1. Isiselo

   Beverage / drink

   Usage

   The word used as the "drinks" heading on a menu. "Sisiselo" also means "it is a drink".

   Grammar Note

   Class 7 noun (isi-/izi-, plural iziselo), derived from the verb -sela ("to drink")

2. Irhewu

   Irhewu (sour fermented maize drink)

   Usage

   Maize meal slaked in water and left to ferment until sour. Alternative names are umdoko and umcuku. Commercial versions are usually labelled maheu or mageu in English

   Grammar Note

   Class 5 noun (i-/ama-); the plural and mass form is amarhewu. rh is a back-of-the-throat fricative, neither r nor h

3. Amasi

   Amasi (soured / fermented milk)

   Usage

   Cow's milk left to sour naturally; defined as "ripened milk from the cow". It is drunk on its own, and poured over umphokoqo it becomes umvubo. It is not alcoholic

   Grammar Note

   Class 6 noun (ama-), used only in this plural mass form, taking the a- concord (Amasi amnandi = amasi is tasty)

4. Ikofu

   Coffee

   Usage

   Coffee in isiXhosa. isiZulu spells it ikhofi, so the written form changes from region to region within South Africa

   Grammar Note

   Class 9 noun (i-/ii-, plural iikofu). Loanwords commonly land in this class

5. Amanzi

   Water

   Usage

   Water in general, drinking water included. Menus qualify it, as in amanzi ebhotile ("bottled water")

   Grammar Note

   Class 6 noun (ama-), a mass noun that stays in the plural form; there is no singular

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