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Fermented milk from West Pokot, Kenya

Pokot ash yogurtmala ya kienyeji

Pokot ash yogurt is raw cow or goat milk soured for at least three days in a gourd smoked over cromwo wood (Ozoroa insignis), then drained of whey, shaken, and mixed with the ash of the same tree, which turns it grey and gives it an aromatic taste. Cow and goat milk are never mixed.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Pokot ash yogurt itself.

Short entryFermented milk3 days

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNo amounts are given; the calabash sets the batch.
Raw cow or goat milkProcessed separately; cow-milk yogurt is for men, goat-milk yogurt for women and children[slowfood]
Ash of the cromwo tree (Ozoroa insignis)Added once the yogurt is ready[slowfood]

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 days

Start
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What changes: The hollowed gourd is dried and smoked over cromwo wood

Step 1 of 4
Hollow, dry and smoke the gourd
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: seasoned gourd.

Flavour
smoky
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

At a glance

Pokot ash yogurt is raw cow or goat milk soured for at least three days in a gourd smoked over cromwo wood (Ozoroa insignis), then drained of whey, shaken, and mixed with the ash of the same tree, which turns it grey and gives it an aromatic taste. Cow and goat milk are never mixed. Made in 4 steps over 3 days. The longest step, let the milk stand in the gourd, takes at least 3 days (Slow Food Foundation).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 3 daysReported[slowfood]Let the milk stand in the gourd

What makes this one different

The ash of the cromwo tree is mixed into the finished yogurt, giving the grey colour; Kenyan mursik is instead coloured and flavoured with charcoal powder of the senetwet tree.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Goat-milk ash yogurtMore intense in flavour; made for women and children.

Safety

Made from raw milk with no heat step. FAO notes that most Kenyan milk is boiled before it is soured, but the Slow Food account says this yogurt uses raw milk. CDC says foods made from raw milk can carry Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella and Salmonella, and that children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems face a higher risk of serious illness.

History and sources

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

Once a staple for herders moving with their animals, it is now made by a few families. A Slow Food Presidium was set up in 2009 with producers of the Tarsoi Association.

  1. [slowfood] Slow Food Foundation, Pokot Ash Yogurt Presidiumweb
  2. [fao-tmp] FAO 1990, The technology of traditional milk products in developing countries, Animal Production and Health Paper 85, section II 1.1 (lists kamabele/kamabou among Kenyan sour milks)gov
  3. [mureithi2000] Mureithi W. et al. 2000, Management of trees used in mursik (fermented milk) production in Trans-Nzoia District, Kenya, Journal of Ethnobiology 20(1):75–91 (notes that the Pokot coat milk gourds with charcoal)paper
  4. [cdc-raw-milk] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raw Milk (31 January 2025)gov