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Fermentation Atlas

Sauces and condiments from Zuru, Kebbi State

Dawadawan botso (fermented roselle seed condiment, north-west Nigeria)dawadawan botso

dry ammoniacal balls used as a fish or meat substitute: crushed in warm water and the liquid used for soups and stews; also pounded with dried pepper into okra and Hibiscus cannabinus ('jejebi') soups. Crude protein 15.94 % (seed) → 25.19 % (fermented) [Ibrahim2011] Bacillus dominates the fermentation [Ibrahim2011]. Made in 5 steps over 5.3 days – 6.5 days. The longest step, shape and sun-dry, takes 2–3 days (Ibrahim A.D 2011). Bacillus pumilus and B. subtilis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–3 daysMeasured[Ibrahim2011]Shape and sun-dry
Temperature100 °CSourced[Ibrahim2011]Cook until soft
AciditypH 7.6Measured[Ibrahim2011]Pound with ash leachate, second fermentation
DocumentedSauces and condiments5.3 days – 6.5 daysMore sauces and condimentsMore from NigeriaMore from Niger

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
roselle seeds (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
ash leachate from burnt dried sorghum stalks
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 5.3 days – 6.5 days

Start
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What changes: Roselle seeds are winnowed and washed; floating seeds are removed

Step 1 of 5
Winnow and wash seeds
Time
Not documented
Temperature
ambient
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus growth

Output: clean seeds [Ibrahim2011].

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

Variants

  • Laboratory-standardised botsoash leachate made from known ash masses; leachate volume fell from 385 ml/100 g ash to 144 ml/250 g ash; substrate pH fell more after the second fermentation as substrate mass rose [Ibrahim-AJB, abstract via search]
  • Iyu (Tarok, Plateau State)roselle seeds made into a cake called 'sorrel meat' (Schippers 2000, cited in [Ibrahim2011]); process not given

Safety

Staphylococcus spp. isolated [Ibrahim2011]

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus spp..

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Mainly made by women as an income source [Ibrahim2011].

  1. [Ibrahim2011] Ibrahim A.D., Sani A., Shinkafi S.A. Production, microbial and physico-chemical evaluation of 'dawadawan botso' (a condiment) produced by the fermentation of Hibiscus sabdariffa seeds. Int J Biol Chem Sci 2011;5(6):2481–2490, doi:10.4314/ijbcs.v5i6.26, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/80b2/e26dfd07f1bb42c62136f5a5cd8717a0d9d2.pdfpaper
  2. [Ibrahim-AJB] Ibrahim A.D., Pedovoah M.M., Bawa M., Sani A. An attempt towards standardization of the production process of dawadawan botso. Afr J Biotechnol, https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/view/122239 (abstract via search summary)paper