Chibwantu

Ingredients

Porridge

• 400 gmaize meal
• 3 litreswater

Munkoyo

• 100 gdried munkoyo root, scraped
• or 100 g munkoyo root powder
• water, for soaking

Sometimes added

• sugar, to taste
• a little honey

Equipment

• a large pot
• a wooden stirring stick
• a sieve or cloth
• a large covered container

Directions

1. Pound or crush it into small pieces. Soak it in warm water for a few hours. Strain it and keep the liquid.
2. Mix the maize meal with cold water first. Make a smooth thin slurry with no lumps. Adding meal to hot water gives lumps forever.
3. Bring the rest of the water to a boil. Pour the slurry in while stirring hard. Keep stirring as it comes back to the boil. Cooking the porridge takes patience. Let it cook for about thirty minutes.
4. Stir it regularly with a wooden stick. It thickens into a thin porridge. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Let the porridge cool right down. It must come down to about body temperature.
5. Stir the munkoyo liquid or powder into the porridge. Mix it through the porridge thoroughly. Cover the container over loosely.
6. Leave it somewhere warm overnight. Give it at least six full hours. Taste it again after a few hours. It should have turned noticeably sweet.
7. Strain it through a cloth for a smoother drink. Serving it is done properly cold. Stir it well before you pour it. Pour it out into cups or bottles. Add sugar if you want it sweeter. Properly made chibwantu needs none.

Technique

• Munkoyo root contains active amylase enzymes that convert the starch in the maize porridge into sugar, which is what sweetens the drink.
• The porridge must be cooled to about body temperature before the root goes in, since heat destroys the enzymes entirely.
• The technique is the same principle as malting in brewing, worked out long before enzymes were understood.

Substitutions

• There is no substitute that does the same job as munkoyo root.
• Munkoyo root is sold at Zambian markets as dried scraped root or as a powder.

Variations

• Some households add sugar for a sweeter drink, though a proper batch needs none.
• Left to ferment for days it becomes a different and alcoholic drink.
• Maheu, made from fermented maize without munkoyo, is the other Zambian maize drink.

History

A Southern Province speciality of Zambia, made by Tonga households and sold in bottles along the Livingstone road.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chibwantu?

Chibwantu is a drink from Zambia: sweet-sour maize drink thickened and set with wild munkoyo root. A Southern Province speciality of Zambia, made by Tonga households and sold in bottles along the Livingstone road.

How long does Chibwantu take to make?

Chibwantu takes 30 minutes plus fermenting of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 3 litres. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chibwantu?

Yes, within limits. There is no substitute that does the same job as munkoyo root. Munkoyo root is sold at Zambian markets as dried scraped root or as a powder.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chibwantu?

Stir it regularly with a wooden stick. It thickens into a thin porridge. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Let the porridge cool right down. It must come down to about body temperature.