Amasi (Traditional Fermented Milk)
Milk left to ferment naturally until thick, tangy, and slightly grainy, comparable to a thick kefir. It is drunk, poured over pap, or eaten with a spoon. An ancient method of preserving milk without refrigeration.
Milk left to ferment naturally until thick, tangy, and slightly grainy, comparable to a thick kefir. It is drunk, poured over pap, or eaten with a spoon. An ancient method of preserving milk without refrigeration.
When I was little, milk never went bad — it became amasi! We'd leave it to rest in the calabash until it turned, thick and tangy, and pour it fresh over hot pap. What a marvel, that contrast of hot and sour! That's humility itself, my friend: take what you have, let it transform, and find a blessing in it. A big glass of amasi, and I'm the happiest man in South Africa.
- •Raw cow's milk — as needed (base)
- •Calabash or clay pot (residual natural ferments) — 1 (fermentation vessel)
Amasi (Traditional Fermented Milk)
Milk left to ferment naturally until thick, tangy, and slightly grainy, comparable to a thick kefir. It is drunk, poured over pap, or eaten with a spoon. An ancient method of preserving milk without refrigeration.
Why this dish? Amasi has been a pillar of Black South African diet for generations, a fermented milk poured over pap or drunk thick and fresh. In the simple, convivial cooking that Tutu loved, it is the quintessential childhood food, present in every home of his era.
When I was little, milk never went bad — it became amasi! We'd leave it to rest in the calabash until it turned, thick and tangy, and pour it fresh over hot pap. What a marvel, that contrast of hot and sour! That's humility itself, my friend: take what you have, let it transform, and find a blessing in it. A big glass of amasi, and I'm the happiest man in South Africa.
Ingredients (period version)
- Raw cow's milk — as needed (base)
- Calabash or clay pot (residual natural ferments) — 1 (fermentation vessel)
Ingredients
- Whole milk — 1 L (base)
- Store-bought amasi or live plain yogurt (as starter) — 2 tbsp (fermentation starter)
Method
- Warm the milk (without boiling) then let it return to room temperature.
- Stir in the starter (amasi or live yogurt) and mix.
- Cover with a cloth and let ferment for 1–2 days at room temperature, away from drafts.
- When the milk has thickened and taken on a distinctly tangy flavor, refrigerate to stop fermentation.
- Drink chilled, or pour over hot pap. The whey that separates can be removed or mixed in.
How it was made : Traditionally, milk fermented in a calabash (igula) whose walls retained the ferments from batch to batch. It was the only way to preserve milk without cold, and amasi nourished the whole family, from children to elders.
The contemporary twist : Serve amasi in a bowl as a 'breakfast bowl' with a drizzle of honey and seeds, or as a chilled drink for snack time.
Desmond Tutu · Charactorium