flipMabi, Bark Drink
Mabi, Bark Drink
Why this dish? Mabi, a fermented bark drink sweetened with cane, quenched the thirst of Martinicans during hot hours at markets and meetings. A popular, non-festive drink of Césaire's country, it accompanies the daily life that he made the substance of his poetry.
Slightly sparkling and bitter drink, infused with mabi bark and ginger, sweetened with cane syrup and left to ferment overnight. Refreshing and tonifying.
When the sun beats down on Fort-de-France and your throat burns, it is not always rum you need, but mabi. We infuse the bitter bark, add a little ginger, sweeten with cane syrup, and let the drink work all night until it sparkles a little. It is harsh, yes — but this bitterness, you see, is the one that wakes you up and keeps a man standing at work.
- •Mabi bark — a handful (bitterness and ferment)
- •Fresh ginger — a piece (spicy note)
- •Cane syrup — to taste (sweetness)
- •Water — a large container (base)
Mabi, Bark Drink
Slightly sparkling and bitter drink, infused with mabi bark and ginger, sweetened with cane syrup and left to ferment overnight. Refreshing and tonifying.
Why this dish? Mabi, a fermented bark drink sweetened with cane, quenched the thirst of Martinicans during hot hours at markets and meetings. A popular, non-festive drink of Césaire's country, it accompanies the daily life that he made the substance of his poetry.
When the sun beats down on Fort-de-France and your throat burns, it is not always rum you need, but mabi. We infuse the bitter bark, add a little ginger, sweeten with cane syrup, and let the drink work all night until it sparkles a little. It is harsh, yes — but this bitterness, you see, is the one that wakes you up and keeps a man standing at work.
Ingredients (period version)
- Mabi bark — a handful (bitterness and ferment)
- Fresh ginger — a piece (spicy note)
- Cane syrup — to taste (sweetness)
- Water — a large container (base)
Ingredients
- Mabi bark (or, failing that, bitter bark like cinchona) — 20 g (bitterness and ferment)
- Fresh ginger — 1 piece 4 cm (spicy note)
- Cane sugar — 150 g (sweetness and fermentation)
- Water — 1.5 L (base)
- Lime zest — 1 (flavor)
Method
- Boil the bark and ginger in water for 15 min, then let infuse until cool.
- Strain and dissolve the cane sugar in the warm liquid.
- Add the lime zest and pour into a jar covered with a cloth.
- Let ferment at room temperature for 12 to 24 h until slightly effervescent.
- Bottle and chill, serve very cold.
How it was made : Mabi, widespread throughout the Caribbean, gets its bitterness from the bark of a shrub (often mauby/Colubrina) and its light sparkle from wild fermentation. A market drink sold by 'mabiyé', it was prepared in large earthenware jars and drunk before the era of industrial sodas.
The contemporary twist : Serve over ice with a lime slice, like an artisanal bittersweet soda.
Aimé Césaire · Charactorium
