Fermented Food in Africa

Michael Bowerman writes from Kenya:

First, I’ve made a point of eating yogurt daily and have had no stomach problems in a month of eating here. May be coincidence as I haven’t eaten at risker spots, but most others I know here have had some problem during their stay. I did drink one yogurt which tasted foul, and realised it was past expiration. I wonder if my perception that it was foul was culturally indoctrinated, or a useful rejection of spoiled food. What is the relationship between fermentation and true spoilage?

Second, reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography he talks about a traditional drink of his tribe, the Xhosa, called amasi – feremented milk. He writes about how much he loves the taste during an anecdote where fermenting the milk on his window ledge while staying at a safehouse in a white neighbourhood draws the attention of passing Africans who are wondering why “their” milk is in the window. I wonder if he would have liked my “spoiled(?)” yogurt? I haven’t looked for commercial versions yet, but will.

Third, a Sudanese friend told me that the Sudanese have a drink made from cow’s blood, urine, and fermented milk. The only part I was incredulous about was the urine but it seems cow and camel urine have been drank by other cultures — there is a urine-based soft-drink being released in India called Gau Jai. I found this site which documents the extensive fermentation in Sudanese culture — meat, milk, urine — including “…mish, which is made by prolonged fermentation to the extent that maggots thrive in it. The product is consumed whole, with the maggots included. These two products are closely related to Egyptian mish (1).”