Masau

Ingredients

Fruit

• fresh masau, the fruit of Ziziphus mauritiana

For the dried cakes

• 2 kgripe masau
• a mortar and pestle
• a flat drying surface

Nothing is added

• no sugar, no salt

Note

• the stone inside each fruit is not eaten

Directions

1. Discard any that are shrivelled, mouldy or damaged by insects. Wash them thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Wild fruit carries dust and needs proper washing.
2. Start with fully ripe brown fruit rather than yellow. Wash the fruit thoroughly and let it drain. Put the fruit in a wooden mortar in batches.
3. Pound it gently but steadily throughout. Do not pound so hard that you crush the stones. Tip the pounded fruit into a wide bowl or a winnowing basket.
4. Pick the stones out by hand as you go. Shake the basket so the heavier stones separate out. Work through the whole batch until only pulp remains. Shaping the cakes is done by hand.
5. Take handfuls of the pulp and press them firmly together. Form them into flat round cakes about two centimetres thick.
6. Press hard so they hold together without any binder. Drying them is done in the sun over several days. Lay the cakes on a clean flat surface in full sun. Turn them once a day so both sides dry evenly.
7. Bring them in overnight so dew does not soften them. Cover them with a net if insects are a problem. Judging when they are dry takes a few days. Wrap them in cloth or paper and keep them somewhere dry. They keep for months and are eaten through the lean season.

Technique

• Pound gently so the stones stay whole, since crushed fragments ruin the cakes.
• Use fully brown fruit for drying and yellow fruit for eating fresh.
• The cakes must be leathery rather than sticky before they are stored.

Substitutions

• Indian ber, which is the same species under another name.
• An oven on its lowest setting in place of sun drying.

Variations

• Eaten fresh, straight from the tree.
• Dried into cakes for the lean season.
• Brewed into a traditional alcoholic drink.

History

Harvested in the Zambezi valley around Muzarabani, where a festival celebrates the fruit and the brew made from it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masau?

Masau is a snack from Zimbabwe: small tart wild jujube fruit eaten fresh or dried into cakes. Harvested in the Zambezi valley around Muzarabani, where a festival celebrates the fruit and the brew made from it.

How long does Masau take to make?

Masau takes 20 min of preparation and none, or 3 hours for drying of cooking. The recipe makes varies with the harvest. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Masau?

Yes, within limits. Indian ber, which is the same species under another name. An oven on its lowest setting in place of sun drying.

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

Start with fully ripe brown fruit rather than yellow. Wash the fruit thoroughly and let it drain. Put the fruit in a wooden mortar in batches.