How to make the best 'Mursik'

Every mention of the North Rift region conjures the delegacy of the most popular 'mursik' that is also an important component of the rich Kalenjin heritage.

Mursik, a traditional fermented milk, synonymous with the Kalenjin people has advanced the community's culture through its common sip in welcoming visitors, thanking heroes and heroines - as is common in athletics after successful global championships and is also handy during ceremonies.

Mursik can be made from cow or goat milk and kept in a revered calabash locally referred as Sotet, whose interior lined with soot from some specific tree species that also add flovour.

It is ideal as a touristic model in the region as the nutritious milk also quench the thirst while the calabash (gourd) – locally known as sotet, that is well decorated with cowry shells, beats, skin and patterns marked with hot rods is an impression of the artistic work of the community.

Traditionally, mursik was made as a measure of preserving milk for future use during time of a glut.

The popular mursik is sweet with a unique flaovur and is also believed the tree varieties used to clean the gourd also assists in curing stomach upsets and also neutralizing acids.

Esther Kemboi 54, from Chirchir area, Flax in Uasin Gishu county says skills acquired from her grandparents empowered her into making delicious mursik, a venture she has been doing since 2007.

"I make mursik for domestic use and also surplus that is ordered by the delicacy enthusiasts in Flax and Eldoret town. It is healthy and energy giving," Kemboi told The Standard at her home in Chirchir area.

She notes that gourds in which the popular mursik is made and kept before consumption are protected in a special place referred to as lengut in the house.

Kemboi says: "A gourd is washed internally using a specially made sosiot (a palm branch) and clean water. It is then left for about four days to dry."

The gourd is then lined with hot soot made from special varieties of trees that coats its interior, in a process referred locally as sut. High temperatures is believed to assist in clearing any impurities that are likely to hobour any germs.

According to Kemboi, the stem of a tree variety known in Keiyo as sisitiet or Kipchuchuniat is burned to glowing red, inserted into the gourd then a stick from another tree variety- itet is used in cleaning the interior forming some black dust like substances, which are poured out.

The black dust is harmless and members of the Kalenjin community fancy the taste of mursik coloured and flavoured by the substance.

The process of the traditional cleaning of the gourd is also respected and old mothers often do it at the fireplace, commonly below a reserved place called –saina where the ornamental sticks –itet, sosiot and sisitiet stems are kept.

Sotet exist in various sizes, shapes and style of decorations that also assist in identifying, which contain mursik for the household head, visitors and for the youth. They hygiene is maintained well before milk is poured in for the process of making mursik.

According to Kemboi, gourds with leather straps with unremoved fur is meant for the head of the household.

"Once the gourd is ready for use, milk is boiled hot. It is then stired for about 30 minutes and left to cool to room temperature. It is then poured into the gourd and left in lengut where it turns into mursik in two to three days ready for drinking," said Kemboi.

She says leaving it to stay more days may make it have a bitter taste that results to heartburn when used.

After mursik has been emptied, the gourd takes yet again the process of cleaning again.

"Using clean water and a clean wash stick –sosiot, produces a lighter leftover of mursik that is often served to young boys," says Kemboi.

For years, the community has adored mursik, which continues to attract interest of other communities across the country.

Nandi elders Mzee Sylvester Chemwor 83 and Samwel Ngetich Chemoror 74 says the Kalenjin community who herd cattle love both fresh (keyanik) and mursik milk.

They also said mursik was initially made for expectant mothers and initiates but the delicacy came to be liked by all including across borders.

"Mursik could last upto a month and was used to restore energy. It used to be mixed with blood from a bull, an oxen or non-lactating cow," said Chemwor.

Ngetich said: "There were special arrows (longik) and bow used to extract blood from a cow. It could be stired and the clotting removed and the fresh blood added to mursik in a gourd. It was sweet and people loved mursik."

Mursik, he added, was also used in ceremonies including naming the young children and also sealing dowry agreements after engagement.

Some quarters believe that mursik strengthens bones and is the secret behind the endurance and speed of runners from the Rift Valley region. It is for this reason that mursik, must be present when runners are received after their exploits in international championships.

Peter Rotich however notes that with continued urbanization, the use of traditional gourd continues to dwindle as some families use plastic containers.

"Some families have shifted to use of plastic containers in carrying milk. Commercialization has also saw drastic reduction in amount of milk converted into mursik since families lack surplus," said Rotich.