Burning stick inside lmala.
Adding a little water.
Stirring, breaking off embers from burning stick into the lmala.
The aromatic stick has been re-ignited in the fire and is now being thrust into the container to further heat it.
Continuing with burning stick.
Closing the lid.
Process is repeated many times!
With stick inside and capped. You now shake. Remember, there is some water in the container so this is developing moist heat.

Most lmala are made from wood. When you go to the region, people will translate “lmala” as “calabash.” As gourd milk containers are few in number, I think it is best to translate “lmala” as “milking container.” I have met one woman who I know for a fact sometimes uses more than one wood time in order to influence the final flavor and aroma of the milk. The fine tuning in terms of taste comes with how the lmala is cleaned after it has been sufficiently heated. Care in cleaning means everything!

Unknown's avatar

Published by William Rubel

I am an author who writes about traditional food and foodways. My book, The Magic of Fire (2002) is about hearth cooking. I have written an introductory history of bread, Bread, a global history (2011) and am currently writing a history of bread for the University of California Press. Other areas of interest include wild mushrooms, and specifically the treatment of Amanita muscaria in the historic record. I also write about Early Modern British Gardens, and for a more general audience, I write for Mother Earth News on bread, gardening, and more. I have an ongoing research project into the smoke-cured fermented milk of the Kenyan Samburu tribe. I am a co-director of the Samburu Lowlands Research Station, Lengusaka. I am the founding editor (1972) of Stone Soup, the magazine of writing and art by young people.

Leave a comment