OLUFUNKE FROM PUNCH
Piper guineense and Piper nigrum are different species in the family Piperaceae.
Piper guineense is native to central and West Africa. It is known as ‘iyere in Yoruba and ‘uziza’ in Igbo. People call it ‘African black pepper’.
Piper nigrum also known as ‘black pepper’ is native to the Malabar Coast of India.
So, what you buy in our regular market is Piper guineense.
In addition to that, I would like you to know that ‘Soya beans’ and ‘soybeans’ are the same thing. The names are used interchangeably.
‘Soya’ is the British spelling, while ‘soy’ is the American spelling. Both terms refer to the same legume.
By now, we have been able to establish that probiotics are not pathogenic, that is, they are not disease – causing.
Out of all the things that thrill me in nature, fermented foods top the chat. This is why I still have more to say on probiotics.
Recently, I was washing soaked corn to be taken for milling. As soon as I held a knife to slice some ginger into it, the practice of putting raw pap on burns just flashed through my mind and I said to myself ‘no wonder such wounds always heal perfectly’. We now know that it is the ‘ friendly bacteria in raw pap that aid wound healing.
A reader sent a text message. He said, ‘What is the benefit of the three tablespoons taken from the water used in soaking the soya beans and its re-application into the milk. Let me address this.
The three tablespoons of water is meant to be our yogurt starter/culture. A yogurt starter is a carefully balanced blend of bacteria that consume lactose. This blend of bacteria converts the lactose in milk to lactic acid, giving yogurt that classic tangy taste.
Without a starter, the milk will not undergo the fermentation process required to turn it into yogurt.
You can use chilli pepper (Bawa), habanero pepper ( rodo) and store-bought yogurt as yogurt starters. Yogurt starters also come in powdered forms.
Let us see how to use these yogurt starters:
.Chilli and habanero peppers
Let us work with this example.
Mix four tablespoons of powdered milk with a cup of water.
Cook the milk till it boils. Let it cool down till you can tolerate the heat if you check with your finger.
Pour your milk into a jar or bowl and then put three chilli peppers or habanero peppers (both red and green are used) with their stem into the warm milk. Cover the milk, wrap and keep in a warm place for 12 – 16 hours. You will see that the milk will look like yogurt only that it smells like a chilli pepper. Take out the peppers. That is your yogurt starter!
So, now that your starter is ready, you can now boil a larger quantity of milk. Ok, let us work with two cups of powdered milk. Measure two cups of powdered milk into a bowl. Add six cups of water to the milk and mix. Pour into a pot and boil.
When the milk has cooled down, pour it into a bowl or jar. Take four tablespoons of your starter and add to the milk. Mix so that your starter and the milk incorporate very well.
Cover the bowl/ jar, wrap and keep in a warm place for 12-16hours. Your yogurt is ready!
After each batch of yogurt making, always keep some so you can use it as a starter for your next yogurt making.
