What's Traditional Salt
by Joe Heckler
(German)
what is it?
Traditional Salt is mostly prepared by rural women in most parts of Africa, Below is a recipe
Siaya (Kenya) Women Group
Ingredients
Dry maize cobs, bean pods or banana peelings
Clean water
Strainer i.e. a container perforated at the bottom /traditional olusherekho
Preparation
1.Burn the dry plant material completely to ash on a clean surface.
2.Put the ash in a perforated plastic container and add water.
3.Filtrate slowly for 15-30 min.
4.Collect the filtrate and use it cook food or store in a clean non-metallic container.
Note:Bean pods & banana peelings produce a filtrate with a brownish tinge while maize cob is clear.
Additions
More on Africa Traditional Drinks
Baobab juice
Ingredients
1 kg baobab pulp
1/2 liter fresh orange juice
1 liter warm water
Sugar(optional)
Preparation
1.Bring 1L of water to boil for 5 min.
2.Add the baobab pulp to boiled water and stir until well mixed
3.Strain or sieve the mixture to remove fiber and unwanted particles.
4.Add the orange juice and sugar to taste.
5.Let it cool keep refrigerated.
Serve.
Note:Baobab pulp has levels of Vitamin C averaging 300mg/100g nearly 6 times higher than that of an orange.
Baobab flavored porridge
Ingredients
50 g cassava flour
50 g maize flour
100 g millet flour
50 g sorghum flour
20 g baobab (mabuyu) flour
Sugar(optional)
Preparation
1.Mix all the 5 flours together in a container.
2.Boil 2L of water in a cooking pot and bring to boil.
3.Separately add 5 cups of cold water to the flour and stir to make thin paste.
4.Add the flour paste in boiling water while stirring continuously until the porridge boils.
5.Cook for 25 min then add sugar to taste.
Remove from fire and serve warm
Green Porridge: arrowroot leaves and finger millet
Ingredients
6 arrowroot leaves
2L water
1/2 tbsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 finger millet flour
Honey to taste
Preparation
1.Place 2L of water in a large pot and put on fire. Wash 6 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 min until very tender.
2.Beat the boiled leaves with a whisk while still on the fire until the leaves from 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 min, stirring often. Cool the resulting green porridge and add honey.
Serves 6.
Note: Green porridge is rich in calcium and iron, which are helpful in the formation of strong healthy bones and teeth, especially important for pregnant women. Green porridge is used as medicine for cold & coughs.
Coconut milk
Ingredients
4 large sized coconuts
5 cups of water
Strainer
Preparation
1.Grate the coconut using mbuzi(traditional grater)
2.Put the grated coconut pieces in a strainer and then add 3 cups of water.
3.Squeeze the strainer and collect the first filtrate of coconut milk, which is thick. Put is aside in a clean container.
4.add 2 cups of water again in the strainer and squeeze the second filtrate, which is thin coconut milk. Put it aside.
Note: A clean towel can be used to strain out coconut milk if a kifumbu is not available.
