Maheu

Ingredients

Porridge

• 200 gfine maize meal
• 2 litreswater
• 1/4 tspsalt

Starter

• 80 gmaize meal, or millet or sorghum malt flour
• or 200 ml maheu from a previous batch

To finish

• 150 gsugar, to taste
• 1 tspvanilla extract, if wanted

Equipment

• a large clean container with a cloth cover

Directions

1. Take about a quarter of the maize meal and mix it with cold water. Stir it to a smooth thin slurry with no lumps. Bring the rest of the water to the boil in a large pot. Add the salt to the boiling water. Pour the slurry in while stirring hard. Sprinkle the remaining maize meal in gradually while stirring.
2. Keep stirring so no lumps form. Lower the heat and simmer it for twenty-five minutes. Stir it every few minutes and scrape the bottom. It should become a thin smooth porridge.
3. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Let the porridge cool to lukewarm, which takes an hour or two. Stir it occasionally as it cools so no skin forms. It must be no hotter than blood temperature before the starter goes in. Stir the starter flour into the cooled porridge.
4. Stir it through the porridge thoroughly. Pour it into a large clean container. Cover it with a cloth rather than a sealed lid.
5. Leave it at room temperature for about twenty-four hours. Now judging when the ferment is ready. Discard the whole batch if it smells putrid or shows fuzzy mould. Now sweetening it, which is done after fermenting.
6. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Add the vanilla if you want it, which is common now. Taste it: it should be sweet with a clear sour edge behind it. Now the consistency, which should be drinkable.
7. Chill it thoroughly before serving. Stir or shake it well, since it separates as it stands. Serve it in a mug or a tall glass. It keeps for about four days in the fridge and grows sourer each day.

Technique

• Cool the porridge to lukewarm before adding the starter, or you kill the culture.
• Cover with a cloth, never a sealed lid, since fermentation builds pressure.
• One day gives a mildly sour drink; longer and it develops noticeable alcohol.

Substitutions

• Millet or sorghum meal in place of maize.
• A cupful of shop-bought maheu as a starter.

Variations

• Flavoured with vanilla or banana, as the commercial versions are.
• Made from sorghum, which is common in some regions.
• Left unsweetened, which is the older way.

History

A thick soured maize drink, once home-fermented and now bottled commercially, drunk as a between-meals meal by workers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maheu?

Maheu is a drink from Zambia: thick fermented maize-meal beverage, lightly sweet. A thick soured maize drink, once home-fermented and now bottled commercially, drunk as a between-meals meal by workers.

How long does Maheu take to make?

Maheu takes 15 min plus 1 day fermenting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Maheu?

Yes, within limits. Millet or sorghum meal in place of maize. A cupful of shop-bought maheu as a starter.

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

Take the pot off the heat entirely. Let the porridge cool to lukewarm, which takes an hour or two. Stir it occasionally as it cools so no skin forms. It must be no hotter than blood temperature before the starter goes in. Stir the starter flour into the cooled porridge.