Edition 44: Autumn 2008

When most people begin to think of Africa they conjure up images of parched landscapes. While water is in fact scarce in many regions, everyone from Bushmen in the Kalahari to the wildebeest migrating in Kenya finds the nourishing moisture they need to survive. In many African cultures, they have not only utilised their slim resources to meet their needs, but also to toast the times of celebration. By Jessica Dawson.

Cattle blood
Throughout Africa cattle are a vital element in many cultures – many actually use them as their form of money. The Maasai tribe of East Africa also use their cattle to produce a protein rich drink. Milk? Not exactly… Piercing the jugular vein of a cow or ox with a spear, they collect some blood and mix it with cow’s milk for a beverage few others could stomach. The wound made is small enough so that it does not kill the animal.

Ilala palm wine
In many areas of Africa, locals use the ilala palm to make alcoholic beverages.  Traditionally, the sap is collected by the removal of the top of the palm near the growing tip. Some of the tree’s leaves are then used to make a funnel to channel the sap into some form of container, where it is then left for a few days to ferment into wine of about 3.6 per cent alcohol. This wine has a similar taste to that of ginger beer. Some cultures then distil the wine into a spirit.

Tsamma melon Juice
There are few places on earth where water is more precious than in the Kalahari. Over the centuries the Bushmen have survived in this arid land, and one fruit that has assisted in this is the tsamma melon. The flesh of this watermelon is often mashed into a pulpy juice drink. During winter it can be found growing on a creeping vine with long tendrils and hairy leaves. Once picked, the melon lasts several weeks. 

Coffee bauhinia
When the early settlers came to Africa, they didn’t have access to coffee as we know it.  However, they soon found a substitute in Bauhinia petersiana. This shrub is about 3m high and has a white flower, which produces a pod that turns from green to brown. The seeds from this pod must be roasted over a fire and then ground up to produce this bush coffee. While the seeds can be eaten like a nut, they must be carefully roasted to a golden brown colour to make the coffee. To most westerners the coffee has a slightly bitter taste.

Tamarind juice
A refreshing drink is made from the fruit of the tamarind tree. Originally found in North Africa, it now grows across the continent, with its southern boundary being the Zambezi River. The fruit is a long brown pod that holds a fruity pulp, which, when soaked in a little cold water and sugar for a few days, makes a very nice juice, high in vitamin C. The flavour of the drink resembles that of lemonade.

Marula wine and liquor
Perhaps the most widely known African drink outside the continent is Amarula, the commercially-produced liqueur created using the fruit of the marula tree. However, long before Amarula was being bottled Africans were using the tree’s fruit to make various drinks – understandable, considering the yellow fleshy fruit has between two and four times the vitamin C content found in an orange. The fruit is used to make beer and wine, as well as various preserves, syrups, and jellies (due to the high amount of pectin).