Mursik

Mursik is a basic element of the cuisine of the Kalenjin people of Kenya. Made from curdled dairy products cooked in a specially made gourd container, it is commonly served at dinner.

Preparation

The preparation of mursik is an undertaking of serious consequence. Because of the fermentation, extreme care is taken to ensure that only the lactobacteria useful for the purpose are not eliminated, and that the harmful bacteria are all suppressed.

A gourd is burned inside with special charcoal "wosek", so when you pour the thick, sour milk, you sometimes see gray lines. In preparing the gourd, the Kalenjin women, for instance, make a brush from the stick of the sosiot tree to clean the inside. Brushes made from this tree are hardy and may last for up to two years before replacement.

Charcoal "wosek", formed from the smouldering embers of branches from the Ite tree (peanut butter cassia scientifically known as senna didymobotray), is used as a milk preservative. Women use the embers to coat the inside of the cleaned gourd. The charcoal has various effects. It lines the inside of the gourd, reducing its porosity rendering it airtight. The smoke from the embers also has a preservative effect which prevents undesired bacterial multiplication that causes spoilage, while allowing natural souring. The charcoal smoke imparts a special flavour to the milk, and a bluish colour which is of high aesthetic value to the consumer. Having prepared the gourd, women pasteurize the milk by boiling. The pasteurized milk is left to cool before pouring into the gourd. Finally the gourd is corked to render it airtight, making it possible for the milk to be preserved for up to a month.

Variations

There are various flavours of mursik, depending on how it is prepared and what quality of milk is used.

Many tree species have been adjudged suitable for the purpose of imparting the preservative and aromatic effect to milk. There are many causes of unusual milk flavour, including the effect of plain gourd walls, which impart a bittersweet tang, and the plainness of white ripened milk, the role of itet is paramount. Several trees are good for the purpose. One characteristic is common though: high tannin content in the bark of the tree concerned. The popular ones include sertwet (acacia), simotwet, and in 'shamba', wattle. Senetwet is by far the most commonly used, on account of nearly universal availability, although sertwet is preferred by the purists.

Mursik can be prepared from a full gourd of milk corked all at once. Another method of preparing it is by pouring in a pint every three days or so. The fermented milk provides the culture for the new milk, and seems to accelerate its ripening. After the gourd is full, it is corked for a while, to achieve a varied consistency of proper sour milk, and results in a clear, sharp (almost bitter in some cases) liquid in which white globules of butter float, shaken well. Another type is the fast fermenting, even type, which gives a white, porridge like consistency.

See also

• Cuisine of Kenya