Ingredients
The fruit
- ripe eendunga, makalani palm fruit
- gathered from the palm
Equipment
- a heavy knife, for splitting
- a stone or hammer, for cracking
Sometimes made into
- a soaked drink
- ombike, the distilled spirit
Directions
- Work carefully, since it can shatter. Eating it needs no preparation at all.
- Keep going until the flesh is gone. It takes some effort for a small reward.
- Soak the fruits in water for a day or two.
- Strain it off and drink it cold. Never drink spirit of unknown origin.
Technique
- The makalani palm, Hyphaene petersiana, provides fruit, weaving leaves and sap, and its very hard nut is carved as vegetable ivory into ornaments and buttons.
- The fibrous flesh is chewed off the nut and the spent fibre spat out, since only the juice and sugar are swallowed.
- Ombike is a traditional Namibian spirit distilled from fermented fruit, and home distilling carries real risks including methanol contamination, so this entry records the practice rather than teaching it.
Substitutions
- There is no substitute, since the fruit is specific to the palm and its region.
- Elephants eat the fruit and disperse the seeds, which is part of how the palms spread.
Variations
- Soaking the fruits in water gives a sweet drink that ferments quickly in the heat.
- Ombike is distilled from makalani fruit as well as from marula and bird plum.
- The leaves of the same palm are woven into baskets across Owamboland.
History
Grows on the makalani palms of Owamboland and is also fermented and distilled into the spirit ombike.
Frequently asked questions
What is Eendunga?
Eendunga is a snack from Namibia: makalani palm fruit chewed for its sweet fibrous flesh. Grows on the makalani palms of Owamboland and is also fermented and distilled into the spirit ombike.
How long does Eendunga take to make?
Eendunga takes 5 minutes of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes varies. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Eendunga?
Yes, within limits. There is no substitute, since the fruit is specific to the palm and its region. Elephants eat the fruit and disperse the seeds, which is part of how the palms spread.
What is the most important thing to get right in Eendunga?
Strain it off and drink it cold. Never drink spirit of unknown origin.
