Ingredients
The root
- 300 gmotlopi root
- shepherd’s tree root, cleaned
- scraped of bark
The brew
- 1 litrewater
Sometimes added
- sugar, to taste
- milk
- a little ginger
To serve
- hot in cups
- black or with milk
Directions
- Take only from the outer spreading roots. Leave the main structural ones alone. Take only as much as you need. Fill the hole in again afterwards. Wash the whole root thoroughly. Scrub with a stiff brush under water.
- Rinse until the water runs clear. Cutting it is straightforward enough. Cut the cleaned root into small pieces. Cut them about a centimetre across.
- Spread the pieces in a dry heavy pan. Roast them over a medium heat. Stir them constantly throughout. It takes a good half hour or more. Keep the heat moderate and steady. Stir it constantly as it roasts. Judging it takes a careful look.
- Take it off slightly before you think. Tip the roasted pieces onto a tray. Let them cool right down completely. They stop cooking once spread out.
- Grind the cooled pieces coarsely. A coarse grind is what this needs. Put the ground root into a pot. Add all of the measured water. Bring the pot up to a full boil. Root needs boiling to extract its flavour. Adjust it all to your own taste. Judging it takes a look and a taste.
- Pour it all through a fine sieve. Use a fine sieve or else a cloth. Strain it twice if it is cloudy. Add sugar to it to your taste.
- Stir some warm milk into the cup. Serving it is always done hot. Pour it out into warm clean cups. Serve it black or else with milk. It has no caffeine to keep you awake.
Technique
- Motlopi is a protected tree in Botswana and South Africa, and cutting or damaging it requires permission. It grows extremely slowly, stays green through the dry season and is vital for shade and livestock browse, so a lost tree is not quickly replaced. Traditional practice takes only some of the outer spreading roots, leaves the main structural ones alone and fills the hole in. Anyone gathering should check local rules first.
- The roasting is the whole of the process — raw root tastes of very little, and roasting is what makes the drink. It takes a good half hour of constant stirring over a moderate heat and cannot be hurried. Take it off slightly before you think, since it carries on darkening off the heat and burnt root tastes acrid.
- It is boiled rather than steeped, since root needs real heat and time to give up its flavour, unlike leaves. Grind it coarsely: fine grinding makes it hard to strain and over-extracts.
Substitutions
- Pounding in a mortar gives the traditional uneven coarse grind; a grinder does it faster.
- Milk stirred into the cup softens the bitterness considerably and makes it more like coffee.
Variations
- It contains no caffeine at all, being a coffee substitute rather than coffee, so it can be drunk at any hour.
- It is bitter and earthy with a faint sweetness underneath, its own thing rather than an imitation of coffee.
- It is still made in some households and sold as a specialty product, which raises the harvest question again.
History
Kalahari communities dig and roast motlopi root, a drink that sustained Botswana households long before imported coffee.
Frequently asked questions
What is Motlopi coffee?
Motlopi coffee is a drink from Botswana: roasted shepherd’s tree root brewed as a bitter coffee substitute. Kalahari communities dig and roast motlopi root, a drink that sustained Botswana households long before imported coffee.
How long does Motlopi coffee take to make?
Motlopi coffee takes 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Motlopi coffee?
Yes, within limits. Pounding in a mortar gives the traditional uneven coarse grind; a grinder does it faster. Milk stirred into the cup softens the bitterness considerably and makes it more like coffee.
What is the most important thing to get right in Motlopi coffee?
Take only from the outer spreading roots. Leave the main structural ones alone. Take only as much as you need. Fill the hole in again afterwards. Wash the whole root thoroughly. Scrub with a stiff brush under water.
