Obosara, strong, and chai

Kenya, the Kuria area particularly, has quite a tradition in drinks.  When people have guests in their home, they always provide the guest with some sort of welcome drink.  It's a great tradition and I think we should export it.

These days, the drink you will most likely be served is chai, kiswahili for tea.  Chai is very much the same chai we drink in the states if you have ever been to a semi-fancy coffee house.  It consists of tea, milk, and a spice called masala.  The spice is my favorite part because it makes chai have a little kick.  Masala almost has a pepperish taste to it.  The drink is served hot and people always say that the hot chai cools you down by making you sweat.  I'm not sure that I believe that but I'll still drink it none the less.

An interesting side note about chai is that corrupt police and officials will sometimes ask for a bribe but instead of being direct, they will ask for chai.  The insinuation is that you'll pay for their chai but they just want some money out of you.  Thankfully, the officials and police we interact with are honest and take pride in their service for the community.  We've never had to serve up chai money.

Strong is probably my favorite drink so far.  Strong is essentially hot chocolate but it is much stronger than hot chocolate in the states.  It is also nearly all dark chocolate with little sugar so it tastes a lot richer, no where near as smooth as the hot chocolate I'm used to.  Strong is dark in color and made of only water and chocolate, no milk.  I still haven't figured out where the name strong came from but I'm working on it.

Obosara is by far the most interesting drink.  Obosara is the traditional drink of the Kuria people that used to be the only drink served to guests before chai and strong came in.  I've been privileged enough to have it twice now.  The drink is much like porridge but with a wicked twist.  Porridge by itself would be too boring so Kurians add yeast and let the porridge ferment for a while developing a sour taste.  When I first heard this I was kind of excited figuring it was a native alcoholic drink that I would get to try out.  However, when I asked Lucas if they fermented it enough to produce alcohol he did his now famous, "Ahhhhhhh no," and explained it was merely for flavor.  The taste is rather interesting to put it nicely.  I've always taken the first cup but never been thirsty enough for a second.  My Kurian friends always snicker at me when I drink it and more that emphatically offer seconds because they know obosara is rather strange to us westerners.  If nothing else, I think it's putting more hair on my chest.

The best part about all of these drinks is the custom of giving them to guests.  You know you are a welcomed guest when you have something warm in a mug.  It makes for a great time to chat and build relationships.