Masuku

Ingredients

Fruit

• fresh masuku, the fruit of Uapaca kirkiana

For juice

• 2 kgripe masuku
• 1.5 litreswater
• sugar, to taste

Nothing is added when eaten fresh

• no sugar, no salt

Note

• the seeds inside are not eaten

Directions

1. Shake it: a ripe one feels slightly loose inside the skin. Discard any that are split, weeping or mouldy. Wash them thoroughly, since wild fruit carries dust.
2. Break the skin open with your thumbs. The skin is thick and peels back in pieces. Break open all the fruit and put the pulp and seeds in a bowl.
3. Pour over about half the water. Separating the pulp takes some rubbing. Rub the pulp and seeds between your hands in the water.
4. Keep working until the pulp comes away from the seeds. This takes several minutes of steady work.
5. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a jug. Press the pulp through with the back of a spoon. Discard the bare seeds and the skins. Add the remaining water to the strained juice.
6. Taste it first and add sugar only if it needs it. Stir until any sugar has dissolved completely. Serving the juice is done cold.
7. Chill it thoroughly for at least two hours. Stir it before pouring, since the pulp settles out. Serve it very cold over plenty of ice. It keeps for two days in the fridge.

Technique

• A green or hard masuku is astringent; it should be yellow-brown and give slightly.
• The seeds are large and are not eaten, only sucked clean.
• Ripe fruit is already sweet, so taste before adding any sugar to juice.

Substitutions

• There is no close substitute, since the tree is specific to the miombo.
• Loquat, which is the fruit it is most often compared to.

Variations

• Eaten fresh, straight from the basket.
• Blended into a cold juice.
• Fermented into a traditional alcoholic drink.

History

Fruits of the miombo woodland sold in baskets at Zambian roadsides during the hot dry months before the rains.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masuku?

Masuku is a snack from Zambia: wild loquat-like fruit sucked from the skin, sweet and sticky. Fruits of the miombo woodland sold in baskets at Zambian roadsides during the hot dry months before the rains.

How long does Masuku take to make?

Masuku takes 10 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes varies with the harvest. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Masuku?

Yes, within limits. There is no close substitute, since the tree is specific to the miombo. Loquat, which is the fruit it is most often compared to.