Methods of Preparation of Swazi Traditional Fermented Foods

J Ethn Foods 2 (2015) 119e125

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Journal of Ethnic Foods

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Original article Methods of preparation of Swazi traditional fermented foods

* Protus Simatende a, b, Tendekayi Henry Gadaga a, , Stanley Jabulani Nkambule a, Muthulisi Siwela b a Department of Environmental Health Science, University of Swaziland, Mbabane, Swaziland b College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa article info abstract

Article history: Background: Fermentation is an age old technique of preserving food in many communities. A wide Received 18 May 2015 range of fermented products are prepared by varying the types of raw materials, utensils, and fermen- Received in revised form tation times. Several fermented foods are consumed in Swaziland. A survey of the types of fermented 21 June 2015 foods, preparation methods, and utensils used was done in the Hhohho region of Swaziland. The current Accepted 7 July 2015 study aimed at documenting the preparation methods of emahewu, emasi, umcombotsi, and buganu at Available online 28 August 2015 household levels. Methods: Detailed fermentation steps were documented for umcombotsi, emahewu, buganu, and emasi. Keywords: buganu Five constituencies, called tinkhundla, were randomly selected from the 14 found in the Hhohho region of emahewu Swaziland. At each inkhundla, households that were known to regularly prepare the fermented foods emasi were identiﬁed with the assistance of local community leaders and were interviewed. A semistructured umcombotsi questionnaire was used for the face-to-face interviews. Swaziland Results: With respect to preparation procedures and practices, all respondents indicated that they had prepared different fermented foods at one time or another. The most commonly prepared and readily available fermented foods were umcombotsi (alcoholic beverage), emahewu (nonalcoholic beverage), buganu (marula wine), and emasi (spontaneously fermented milk). Both men and women indicated that they prepared umcombotsi, and only women reported that they prepared emahewu, buganu, and emasi. Umcombotsi was mainly prepared for sale, while buganu, emahewu, and emasi were for sale as well as for household consumption. Umcombotsi was mostly prepared by mixing maize meal, unmilled sorghum malt (magayiwe), and brown sugar (3 kg) in water (20 L). The initial stage involved cooking the mixture to gelatinize the starch, followed by fermentation at ambient temperature (25e30C) for about 72 hours. The whole preparation process takes about 4e5 days. Emahewu was prepared by mixing maize meal (1 kg) with water (5 L) and cooking to make a soft porridge. The cooled porridge was left to ferment at room temperature. Some reported adding sugar or a peeled potato to aid the fermentation process. Emasi was prepared by letting raw milk to naturally ferment at room temperature (25e30C) in either metal or plastic containers (buckets) for 2e3 days. Buganu was prepared from marula fruit (amaganu) juice and pulp mixed with water (10 L) and sugar (2 kg). The mixture was allowed to ferment at ambient temperature for about 3 days, sieved, and then served. Conclusion: Umcombotsi, emahewu, buganu, and emasi were the fermented foods commonly prepared at a household level in the Hhohho region, Swaziland. The main ingredient used for preparing umcombotsi and emahewu was maize meal. Unmilled sorghum malt was also added during preparation of umcombotsi. However, typically no malt was added during the preparation of emahewu. Buganu and emasi also play an important role in the diet and socioeconomic activities of the population in Swaziland. Copyright © 2015, Korea Food Research Institute, Published by Elsevier. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction

Several traditional spontaneously fermented foods are prepared in households in Africa [1,2]. Numerous investigations have * Corresponding author. Department of Environmental Health Science, University revealed the important role of this technique including making the of Swaziland, P.O. Box 369, Mbabane, H100, Swaziland. raw materials more palatable and extending the shelf life of the E-mail address: [email protected] (T.H. Gadaga). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2015.08.008 2352-6181/Copyright © 2015, Korea Food Research Institute, Published by Elsevier. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 120 J Ethn Foods 2015; 2: 119e125 product. Various benefits of fermentation have been reported such systematically studied and recorded. It is important to document the as improved bioavailability of some nutrients, destruction of anti- process, quantify the ingredients and identify the key conditions for a nutritional compounds such as tannins, phytates, and polyphenols, successful fermentation in order to replicate the process under as well as inhibition of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms standardized conditions and ultimately at industrial level. The cur- facilitated by the low pH [3,4]. Cereals, fruits, and milk are common rent study's aim was to document the steps and equipment used in raw ingredients used in these preparations. African traditional the preparation of four products, emahewu, emasi, umcombotsi,and fermentation technologies are at best an art; hence, the fermen- buganu prepared at household level in Swaziland. tation products vary in quality depending on the type of raw materials, types of containers used, and environmental conditions 2. Materials and methods [5e8]. However, the communities where a specific product is made normally have well-known and agreed steps for its prepa- 2.1. Location of study and selection of households ration. For example, Simango [9] described mahewu prepared in Zimbabwe as a maize-based cereal gruel with added malt. The malt The study was conducted in the Hhohho region of Swaziland. provides the inoculum and enzymes for spontaneous fermentation. The region is divided into 14 local administrations called tink- In South Africa, traditional fermented milk (amasi) is prepared in hundla. The Hhohho region is in the Highveld of the country where several types of containers of varying sizes. Buekes et al [6] re- the temperatures can range from the very cold in winter to hot in ported that the Xhosa and Zulu people mainly use calabashes to summer. Using a lottery system, five tinkhundla were selected for make amasi, while the South Sotho use clay pots to make a similar the study. At each inkhundla, members of the community who were fi product called ma . The use of clay pots reportedly gives a better known to prepare fermented foods were identified with the fl avor to the fermented milk than calabashes. The types of assistance of community leaders, such as the village head container used, as well as the environmental conditions, contribute (umphakatsi) or schoolteachers. to the gradual selection of specific microorganisms that are responsible for the perceived flavor [6]. Common traditional fermented foods consumed in Swaziland 2.2. Preparation methods include nonalcoholic cereal beverage (emahewu), spontaneously fermented milk (emasi), fermented porridge (incwancwa), fermented Using a semistructured questionnaire, preparation steps and the maize meal (sancoti), fermented marula fruit juice and pulp (buganu), utensils or equipment used for the different fermented foods were alcoholic cereal beverage (umcombotsi), and malt distilled spirits (mankanjane) [10]. The importance of these products to the diet and socio-cultural wellbeing of the Swazi community is well documented. However, details of the preparation steps have not been

Maize meal (5 kg)

Water (20 L)

Mix with water to make slurry

Cook unl gelanized (so porridge; umhidvo)

Cool (25–30oC) Brown sugar (3 kg) Magayiwe or Mnandi (un-milled Ferment [Room sorghum malt) (1 kg) temperature (25–30oC); Mix thoroughly 18–24 h]

Brown sugar (3 kg) Cook unƟl it boils

Ferment [Room Cool to room temperature (25–30oC); temperature. Transfer to >72 h] 210 L metal drum Add sibiliso/ingwebu (previous successful ferment) Ferment [25–30 C; 8 h] Sieve (tradional grass Strainings sieve/sisefo) (emashica) Magayiwe+sugar+ water

Strainings Sieve (tradiƟonal grass Umcombotsi Umcombotsi (emashica) sieve/sisefo)

Fig. 1. Commonly practiced traditional preparation method for umcombotsi, Swazi Fig. 2. A variation of traditional preparation of umcombotsi, Swazi maize meal, and maize meal and sorghum malt based alcoholic beverage. sorghum malt based alcoholic beverage that uses back-slopping. P. Simatende et al / Swazi traditional fermented foods 121 recorded. Demographic characteristics (sex of the person preparing pots were reported to be used for mixing ingredients for emahewu the food), purpose of preparing, and any cultural restrictions on the and for fermentation and storage of emasi. consumption of the fermented food were also obtained for each of the four products. 3.2. Ingredients and methods of preparation

3.2.1. Umcombotsi 3. Results and discussion The main ingredients used in preparation of umcombotsi were found to be similar in the different households. Umcombotsi was 3.1. Demographic characteristics and practices mainly prepared by mixing maize meal, unmilled sorghum malt (known as magayiwe or mnandi), and brown sugar (3 kg) in water Twenty-ﬁve respondents who prepared fermented foods were (20 L). The common method for preparation involved adding maize interviewed. The fermented foods that were commonly prepared meal (5 kg) to water (20 L) to make a slurry, and cooking the were umcombotsi, buganu, emahewu, and emasi. All respondents mixture in three-legged cast iron pots or metal drums to gelatinize indicated that they had prepared all these different products at one the starch as shown in Fig. 1. Cooking time was not standardized. It time or another, but did not always have them available. Among depended on visual and rheological observations made by the those preparing umcombotsi, 50% were men and 50% women. person preparing the product. Sorghum malt (magayiwe; 1 kg) was However, all respondents who prepared emahewu, emasi, and then added to the cooled soft porridge, followed by brown sugar buganu were women. (3 kg). The whole mixture was fermented at ambient temperature All respondents who prepared umcombotsi reported that it was (25e30C) for about 72 hours to give a brown colored beverage. As for sale and a major source of income. Hence, 25% were making a shown in Fig. 1, the whole preparation process takes about 4e5 new batch of umcombotsi every 3 days, while 50% made a batch days. However, one respondent described a slight modiﬁcation of every week and 25% made a batch every month. Umcombotsi was the above method which is outlined in Fig. 2. Thin maize meal only consumed by adults, as it has a high alcohol content. porridge was inoculated with strainings (emashica) from a previous Equipment and ingredients used in preparing the different fer- successful fermentation and the mixture was fermented for 18 mented foods were also documented. Generally, metal drums, hours to 24 hours. This was then followed by a cooking step and traditional clay pots, and plastic containers were used for preparing cooling. The cooled, soured product was further inoculated with a umcombotsi and buganu. Plastic buckets, aluminum pots, and clay small amount of previous ferment called sibiliso or ingwebu, and

Fig. 3. Umcombotsi ingredients and products at different preparation stages, and some of the utensils used. (A) Sorghum malt. (B) Fermenting beverage. (C) Strainer/sieve with strained malt. (D) Strained umcombotsi. (E) Containers used during preparation of umcombotsi. 122 J Ethn Foods 2015; 2: 119e125

Maize meal (1 kg) reported that they obtained their malt from supermarkets. Two brands, magayiwe and mnandi, were commonly used. The method for preparing umcombotsi was in many ways similar Water (5 L) to the traditional preparation of Sesotho joala reported by Gadaga et al [12]. However, in preparing joala, maize meal could be replaced or used together with wheat or sorghum ﬂour. Brieﬂy, this Mix thoroughly starch base is mixed with water and cooked to make a thin porridge. Homemade liquid starter culture called tomoso and brown sugar are then added to kick start the fermentation. After 48 hours, the mixture is boiled, which tends to kill most of the mes- Cook unl well ophilic souring bacteria. This is similar to the second cooking stage gelanized (thin for umcombotsi shown in Fig. 3B. After cooling, sorghum malt and a porridge/umhidvo) dry starter culture called moroko are added and fermented for an additional 24 hours. The product is then strained, ready for consumption. The second starter is thought to predominantly contain Cool to room yeasts, as the associated fermentation is alcoholic. Moroko may be o temperature (25–30 C) comparable with dried emashica or sibiliso/ingwebu. The preparation of joala takes 3e4 days, similar to umcombotsi, but there are *Magayiwe (~ 80– more elaborate steps. Preparation of doro, a sorghum beer from e 100 g) Zimbabwe, takes 5 7days[5,13]. Umqombothi is the Shangaan name given to a similar sorghum beer in South Africa [14,15]. The differences in the quality of ingredients, utensils used, and prepa- Ferment (25–30oC; >48 h– ration times are probably the only distinguishing characteristics of 6d) these products.

Emahewu 3.2.2. Emahewu Emahewu is a nonalcoholic beverage which is consumed by all members of the family, including infants. Interviews with women Fig. 4. Traditional preparation of emahewu in Swaziland. * Adding malt (magayiwe) for who prepared the product showed that it was prepared by emahewu can be done to speed up the process. mixing maize meal (1 kg) with water (5 L), or in the same pro- portions as described for umcombotsi. The outline for preparation is shown in Fig. 4. The thin slurry was then cooked to make a soft allowed to ferment for about 8 hours and sieved as previously porridge called umhidvo, cooled, and left to ferment at room described. Magayiwe, sugar, and water are added after this second temperature. No malt was added but some households added fermentation, if needed. Although the actual preparation steps in sugar or a peeled potato. Emahewu therefore lacks enzymes that this latter method were more than those shown in Fig. 1, the come with addition of malt to kick start the fermentation. fermentation time in the second approach was shorter by about a However, some bacterial inoculum may come with the added day. This can be attributed to the back-slopping with emashica and potato and may be present on the utensils used during handling. sibiliso that speeds up the fermentation. Back-slopping adds mi- Brown sugar is often added and it provides a readily fermentable croorganisms that are well adapted to the fermentation media and substrate for any microorganisms present. In contrast, similar the desired pH and organoleptic properties are achieved much fermented products prepared in other countries, such as quicker. Similar African beers with sorghum malt have been found mahewu/mageu in South Africa, have sorghum or millet malt to have alcohol content ranging from 2% to 4.5% (v/v), and pH of added after the cooking stage and therefore develops a low pH between 3.3 and 4 [11]. and high counts of fermenting microorganisms [15]. Fig. 3AeE shows some of the intermediary products and The current practice at a household level in Swaziland is a cause equipment used during preparation of umcombotsi. The brew can for concern as the ﬁnal product may be susceptible to proliferation be thinned by occasionally adding more water and stirring. This of harmful microorganisms. Fermentation takes a long time (2e3 thin brew was then sieved (Fig. 3C) and served. Respondents days in summer and up to 5 days in winter). The usual protection

Fig. 5. Utensils used in preparing emahewu in Swaziland. P. Simatende et al / Swazi traditional fermented foods 123

Raw cow’s milk Clean, ripe marula fruits (emaganu)

FermentaƟon (25– Press/pound fruits (10 kg 30oC/48 h) in 20 L container; juice, pulp and seed) [Use plasƟc or metal containers] Potable water (10 L)

Sugar (2 kg) Ferment thin slurry Strain (remove whey) [Ambient temperature, 25–30oC; 3 d]

Addional potable Emasi water (10 L) Sr the gelanous mixture Fig. 6. Traditional preparation of emasi, Swazi sour milk.

Emashica Sieve fermented pulp, due to low pH is not achieved fast enough. Byaruhanga et al [16] seed] reported that mageu in South Africa was prepared by using 8% to 10% (w/v) maize ﬂour as the major solid substrate in water. Wheat Sugar (2 kg) ﬂour or maize bran was then added to initiate the lactic acid e Ferment [Ambient fermentation. Acceptable mageu reportedly contained 0.4 0.5% temperature, 25–30oC; lactic acid, corresponding to an average pH of 3.5 [17]. Fig. 5 shows 12 h] the utensils used in preparing and storing emahewu.

Buganu (marula wine) 3.2.3. Emasi The outline for the preparation of emasi is shown in Fig. 6. The fermented milk was prepared by leaving raw milk to spontaneously Fig. 8. Traditional preparation of Swazi naturally fermented marula wine, buganu. ferment at room temperature in either metal or plastic containers or clay pots. The whey was occasionally decanted to give a thick product similar in consistency to cottage cheese (Fig. 7). This sug- bag. Finally the fermented milk is removed from the bag and mixed gests that emasi could have high numbers of fermenting microor- with fresh milk in a ratio of 4:1 before consumption or sale [18]. ganisms and a low pH. This is similar to that practiced in many While the above similarities have been noted, the nature of Southern African countries in preparing amasi, sethemi, mafi,or fermented products varies from one region to another depending madila [5e7,12,18]. The Sotho mafi is traditionally prepared by on the local indigenous microflora, which in turn reflects the cli- allowing raw milk to ferment spontaneously in clay pots until thick matic conditions of the area [19]. curds form. This may take 2e3 days at 25e30C [12]. To prepare madila, fresh milk is filtered through a strainer and placed in an 3.2.4. Buganu enamel/metal bucket and fermented in a warm place (30C) for 24 Buganu is a potent wine made from the ripe fruits of the marula hours [18]. The soured milk is then poured into a woven poly- tree (Scleroecarya birrea; amaganu), which are yellow in color and propylene sack and additional 1-day-old soured milk is added each are predominantly found in the Lowveld of Swaziland. Women in day over a 7e8-day period. The bag is hung from a beam for 3e4 the villages collect the fruits and make marula beer used in the days during which time the whey drains away through the woven celebration of the first fruit ceremonies. In the past, buganu was

Fig. 7. Emasi. (A) A clay pot used for preparing emasi. (B) Emasi in a serving dish. 124 J Ethn Foods 2015; 2: 119e125

Fig. 9. Marula. (A) The marula tree. (B) Marula fruits. (C) Fermented marula fruit wine. often first offered to the chief or headman before everyone else and 4. Conclusion was thought to be important in strengthening social networks between friends, neighbors, and relatives [20]. In present day Umcombotsi (alcoholic beverage), emahewu (nonalcoholic Swaziland, an annual marula festival with a lot of cultural activities, beverage), buganu (marula wine), and emasi (spontaneously fer- and attended by the King, is held. mented milk) were the fermented foods commonly prepared at a The traditional production process for buganu is outlined in household level in the Hhohho region. The fermented foods were Fig. 8. Respondents in the current study reported that freshly ripe prepared for own consumption, as well as for sale. The main marula fruits (10 kg) are cleaned thoroughly and pounded or ingredient used for preparing umcombotsi and emahewu was maize pressed to extract the juice (Fig. 9). The juice, pulp, and seeds from meal. Unmilled sorghum malt (magayiwe or mnandi) was also the fruit are transferred to a 20 L container (Fig. 9C). Plastic buckets added during preparation of umcombotsi. However, typically no are commonly used. Water (10 L) is then added and the mixture malt was added during the preparation of emahewu, although stirred. Sugar (2 kg) is also added and mixed, and left to ferment at brown sugar or a peeled potato could be added to aid the ambient temperature for about 3 days. During this time the mixture fermentation. Amaganu are of high cultural significance in becomes gelatinous in consistency with gas bubbles showing signs Swaziland with many cultural festivities held to celebrate the cer- of fermentation. The gelatinous mixture is then stirred to make it emony of first fruits. The alcoholic beverage, buganu, is the center of thin, followed by sieving using a traditional grass sieve or metal the activities. Buganu also bring income to many families. Emasi is mesh similar to the one described for umcombotsi. Some re- an important part of the diet and consumed by all members of the spondents also reported adding sugar after sieving and allowing household. Further studies on the biochemical and microbial further fermentation for 12 hours before serving. This production characteristics of the products are ongoing. process was generally in agreement with that described by Masarirambi et al [10]. While plastic buckets were used, it was also fl observed that traditional clay pots or gourds (ingula) could also be Con icts of interest used. fl Marula fruit also plays an important nutritional and socioeco- All authors have no con icts of interest to declare. nomic role in other countries in Southern Africa. For example, Shackleton and Shackleton [21] reported that over 90% of house- Acknowledgments holds in Limpopo province of South Africa collected marula fruit mainly to make beer, and also to consume fresh, make into juice, This study was funded by the University of Swaziland Research and/or process into jam. About 74% of households in the Limpopo Board under the project titled Screening for probiotics in Swazi study produced between 138 L and 311 L of marula wine, which is traditional fermented foods. locally called vukanyi, each season. The wine is shared with friends, relatives, and neighbors, while a few households prepared it for sale. In the South African study, beer brewing was primarily done References by women. Production of a marula alcoholic beverage on an industrial commercial scale has been achieved in South Africa and a [1] Steinkraus KH. Fermentation in world food processing. Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safety 2002;1:23e32. commercial wild fruit cocktail, Amarula, is now available on the [2] Hesseltine CW and Wang HL. The importance of traditional fermented foods. market. A similar traditional marula wine is prepared in Zimbabwe Bio Sci 1980;30:402e4. and Namibia [5]. Gadaga et al [5] also reported that both fermen- [3] Mortarjemi Y. Impact of small-scale fermentation technology on food safety in developing countries. Int J Food Microbiol 2002;75:213e29. tative and nonfermentative yeasts have been isolated from the [4] Blandino A, Al-Aseeri ME, Pandiella SS, Cantero D and Webb C. Cereal based marula fruits. fermented foods and beverages. Food Res Int 2003;36:527e43. P. Simatende et al / Swazi traditional fermented foods 125

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