If you walk around the streets of most towns along the Kenyan coast, you’ll come across food vendors or restaurants offering a unique fruit in the form of a beverage or a sauce. Ukwaju is a popular fruit pulp that comes from Tamarind. It’s said to be native to Africa. In other tropical regions where it grows, it is also widely appreciated . Tamarind is a name that refers to both the fruit as well as the tree on which it grows.
Ukwaju is one of the key flavours that defines coastal cuisine. The fruit comes in a pod (think of how peas look). The steps to making any ingredient from this fruit require you to crack the shell to obtain the pulp. The pulp itself has a resemblance to dates. And here’s where things get good: you have two options with this pulp. You can turn it into a paste or chutney to use for cooking, make a sauce that can be a dip for salty, savoury snacks, or make a refreshing juice.
What’s your pick?
If you follow the necessary steps, all options are destined to give you a taste of coastal culture regardless of what you decide.
The Rise of Ukwaju
In thinking about culture, one may wonder how this fruit came to be a key component in Swahili culture. Like most traditional fruits and herbs, tamarind has a long history in the medicinal department.
It gained recognition as a herb for blood purification to remove toxins from internal organs, as well as a booster that helped with weight loss. Ukwaju is known today for its health benefits thanks to scientific back up… But before we digress, Ukwaju stood out as a fruit with the potential to add flavour to food. Now, it should be known that Ukwaju is not naturally sweet. In fact, it’s more on the tangy, acidic side – hence adding sweeteners like brown sugar or cinnamon can make it tastier.
Today, Ukwaju sauce holds prominence as the ideal dip for snacks like bhajias and viazi karai. It adds a tangy element to the snacks’ saltiness and can even work with chilli sauce as an additional side dip.
Ukwaju is also popular as a juice that offers more than refreshment. Other fruit beverages do not match up to the unique taste of this coastal drink.
Where do you believe the best ukwaju juice is made? Do you regularly make or consume Ukwaju in your home? What’s your favourite thing about it?
#VyakulaVyetu
