African Health Drinks

Diversity in recipes among communities is good because recommendations can be made in terms of nutrition. African healthy drinks are characterised by high diversity and play an important role in traditional diets in rural and urban areas.

Wari Wombeke (finger millet brew)

Ingredients

• 2 kg finger millet flour (germinated flour)
• 2 kg ripe banana 
• 2 litres of water

Procedure

• Peel, mash, boil the ripe banana with 2 litres of water until well cooked (colour change to pinkish red)
• Pour in a wooden drum and leave for 3-4 days on fermentation process
• Add 3 litres of water into the fermented ripe banana and leave for 12 hours
• Prepare finger millet porridge and cool for more than 6 hours
• Strain the fermented ripe banana and put into a clean wooden drum (at least 7-8 hours)
• Add finger millet porridge and stir well than leave for overnight to ferment
• Taste and serve early in the morning

Variation

• Add the dried bark of quinine to stimulate and add taste
• Serve as a soft drink that is, before the mixture continues to ferment and change to liquor
• Serve as a drink, beverage, entertainment or refreshment
• Used in ceremonies such as, weddings and funerals, dowry, penalty payment. It can also be commercialised
• Rich in carbohydrates, protein, iron, vitamin B complex

Processing of finger millet flour

• Pound the husks of finger millet in a wooden mortar
• Wash finger millet thoroughly and spread on a hide than cover on top with Asian cloth or hide or banana leaves for 3-4 days to let it germinate at cool place.
• Remove and spread on a hide or Asian cloth outside to dry
• Grind dried finger millet using a grinding stone or machine to get flour

Choya (Rosella drink)

Ingredients

• 1 kg of dried petals of hibiscus Rosella
• 3 litres of water
• 1/2 kg of sugar

Preparation

• Harvest the hibiscus Rosella petals and dry
• Soak the petals with cold water for 12 hours then strain
• Peel, cut the sugarcane into cubes, pound into the wooden mortar and strain to get the juice
• Add the juice into the hibiscus Rosella juice, stir and leave it overnight
• Serve as soft drink

Variation

• Let the juice ferment for 1-2 days 

Serve:

• As a drink
• As a medicinal specially for anaemia
• For old people in taboos
• For pregnant and lactating mothers

Note: The Rosella drink is consumed in ceremonies such as wedding and traditional dances. Its contains high nutrition value of iron, vitamin B and C.

Mursik
The drink is made from milk, charcoal and sometimes animal blood. The Peanut Butter Cassia (Senna dydimobotrya), whose stem is burnt and its mixed with boiled milk in a gourd and left to ferment for 4-5 days.  The tree has medicinal value and it is used to cure stomach upsets and neutralize acids that might develop during fermentation. The charcoal not only adds flavor to the fermented milk, adds strength to bones, a secret behind longevity and the speed of Kenya's athletes or runners.

Ingredients

• 1 liter of fresh milk from cow
• Sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. The gourd is first washed then left to dry.
2. Pieces of charcoal from the peanut Butter Cassia are than put into the gourd and a palm tree branch used to coat the inside of the gourd with the charcoal.
3. Milk is boiled then left to cool before it is poured into the gourd and covered with tight lid, usually made of animal skin. the milk is then left for 4-6 days to ferment.
4. When the mixture is ready, the palm tree branch is used to stir up the milk and attain an even texture because butter tends to float on top. 

Note: The texture of the mursk will depend on the feed given to the cow and what breed the animal is. Mursk made from colostrum is thicker and more nutritious than that made from any other milk.

Baobab Juice

Ingredients

• I kg baobab pulp
• 1/2 liter fresh orange juice
• 1 liter of warm water
• Sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Bring 1 liter of water to boil for 5 minutes
2. Add the baobab pulp to boiled water and stir until well mixed
3. Strain or sieve the mixture to remove fibre and unwanted particles
4. Add the orange juice and sugar to taste
5. Lay it cool or keep in a refrigerator
6. Serve

Note: Baobab pulp has levels of vitamin C averaging 300mg per 100 g nearly 6 times higher than that of orange. Two times more calcium than cow milk, high in potassium, phosphorus and anti-oxidants. It is a good fruit for pregnant and breast feeding women. Also its seeds can be used to treat dysentery.

Tamarind juice

Ingredients

• Tamarind
• Boiled water
• Pot
• Sugar
• Plastic basin
• Plastic filter

Preparation

1. Boil enough water in accordance with the quantity of fruit or tamarind
2. prepare tamarind and put into boiled water
3. Stir to get smooth porridge, and strain in the plastic filter
4. Add sugar to taste (optional)
5. Serve well when chilled

Note: Helps protect skin and heal wound, Refreshes the body by increasing water and Increase appetite to eat.

Papaya juice

Ingredients

• Whole papaya 
• Sugar (optional)
• Lemon or lime
• Cold water

Preparation

1. Choose well ripe papaya
2. Wash well and peel
3. Grind papaya to be smooth
4. Filter and add a little lemon juice and cold water
5. Stir well and drink this juice when chilled

Note: Papaya juice has vitamin A which prevents the diseases of the eyes, skin

Green Porridge (arrowroot leaves and finger millet)

Ingredients

• 6 arrowroot leaves
• 2 liters of water
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 kg finger millet flour
• Honey to taste

Preparation

1. Place 2 liters of water in a large pot and put on fire. Wash six large arrowroot leaves, peeling away the skin of the petiole and leaf veins and cut the remaining leaf thinly. Add the cut leaves to the hot water, add 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda and boil for 20 minutes until very tender
2. Beat the boiled leaves with a whisk while still on the fire until the leaves form a watery paste. Pass the mixture through a strainer and use the watery paste to make porridge
3. Place the watery paste back over the fire and when hot, adding  1/2 kg of finger millet and boil the porridge for 10 minutes, stirring often. Cool the resulting green porridge and add honey
4. This preparation serves five

Note: Green porridge is rich in calcium and iron, which are helpful in the formation of strong healthy bones and teeth, especially for pregnant women. Green porridge is used as medicine for colds and coughs

Dried manioc leaves (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

Ingredients

• 1 kg of hibiscus leaves
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 medium sized onions (chopped)
• 5 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
• 200 g smooked fish

Preparation

• Pick only fresh leaves of dried manioc leaves and wash them
• Blanch them till the leaves become soft ans limp
• Squeeze the leaves to remove excess water or let them drain for a while to get rid of this
• Heat the oil, add onions and fry till they begin to turn golden brown
• Add the tomatoes and allow them to cook till soft
• Add the smoked fish, salt and 1/2 cup of water
• Stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes
• Serve with ugali or rice

 


Notes: Hibiscus is naturally sour, therefore by squeezing out excess water you reduce this acidity. Some people drink this water extract to treat cough. It is also given to people who are anaemic. This is a favourite vegetable of the Baluba people in central Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lemon tea

Ingredients

• 6 lemon leaves
• Sugar to taste                                                                                      
• 6 cups of Water 

Preparation

• Boil 6 cups of water
• Add tea leaves (2 tablespoonfuls)
• Let it boil for 5 minutes
• Wash the lemon leaves
• Put in the lemon leaves whole
• Boil for 5 minutes so that the tea can get enough aroma 
• Add sugar to taste (optional)
• Serve hot

Traditional Ghee

Ingredients

• Sour milk
• 3 cups of cold water

Preparation

• The sour milk is usually stored in a big kitete (calabash) and cork is put in the mouth of the calabash
• The kitete is placed on the lap when skimming
• The sour milk is rotated in a circular motion slowly on the lap to separate ghee from the milk (skimming). This process takes approximately 2 hours
• The milk is then poured in a nzele and the ghee collected together using a spoon
• It is then scooped out of the milk and put in cold water for five minutes in a bowl and then removed from the cold water and put in a clean dry container for later use e.g. making ikie 

Sour milk (Maziwa lala)

Ingredients

• Mukukuma (plant)
• 3 litres fresh milk

Preparation

• Mukukuma stick is burnt and inserted into the kitete mouth to smoke the kitete before adding fresh milk
• Kitete is washed by putting hot water and stones inside and then shaken vigorously to remove dirt
• Pour out the contents and put clean hot water inside again and shake 
• Pour out the water again
• Burn the mukukuma stick in fire when it starts exuding smoke put the stick inside the mouth of the kitete and hold it in for 2 minutes
• Put the stick in the fire again and repeat the process twice
• Cover the mouth of the kitete with a cork immediately to hold in the smoke for 10 minutes
• Boil fresh milk till well boiled,
• Let the milk cool down and pour it in the kitete
• Let it stay for 2 days to be sour
• Remove the ghee by skimming
• Serve the sour milk with ugali or use it for flavouring porridge
• Smoking removes the tart taste of sour milk

Make your day extra special by a refresh of tropical natural drink.