Post by Trade Coach on Nov 10, 2021 11:53:55 GMT 1
What We Call Hibiscus: Is it Exactly A Flower? Starters Come With Us To Find Out
I don’t know how many people in Nigeria that have not taken the hibiscus tea popularly known as Zobo in this climate? I have taken it many times in the past, and still crave for the reddish drink.
The edible variety of hibiscus, the hibiscus sabdarffa species is what we consume in Nigeria and we call it Hibiscus.
What is hibiscus?
People often and erroneously describe it as a flower. Well, I have grown up to know it as a flower, even in school; we used to call it “hibiscus flower”.
The hibiscus we cook, which is collection of sepals that is known as calyx, is the part of a flowering plant that protects the bud and protects the petal once it is in bloom. Before the plant flowers, the calyx resembles a pointed bud, holding the seed pod, but it unfurls as the flowers push through the pod.
Where did hibiscus originate from?
Hibiscus must have originated from any of the following regions; West Africa, East Africa, Northern India or South East Asia. Different countries have different names for hibiscus: some parts of West Africa call it bissap, the North Africans call it kakade. It is known as sorrel in Indonesia, Australia, across the Caribean and Latin America. In Thailand, it is Krachiap; luo shen hua in China, flor de Jamaica in Mexico and other countries of North America.
Other colors of hibiscus exist apart from the deep red color that the general public knows across the world. We have other colors from rose to yellow; one funny thing is that you should have expected the color differences to produce some flavor differences but that is not the case. The flavor is similar with all of them except some minor differences in the deeper ones being sourer of more tart. The darker varieties are also fuller and more robust.
How to make hibiscus drink:
One of the simplest hibiscus drinks to prepare is the one you make using the calyxes:
You need to rinse them in a large bowl of cold water, swish them around as you do with vegetables; this way any unwanted pieces and other impurities will sink to the bottom of the bowl. If you don’t take time you will think that your Zobo is being wasted as the water is turning red fast, take heart the flavour will not be lost. After washing off sand and other dirt, I lift them out of the first bowl into a container to be used.
How I combine the ingredients for my favorite Zobo drink:
I combine 1 cup of cold-rinsed dried Zobo with 2 litres of water. Be sure that the quantity of zobo matches the quantity of water you are using. You must use your head. I like soaking the mixture for about 2 hours, it can even be overnight in a non-metallic container. Remember that hibiscus is acidic in nature, if you do not take time it can start leaching out metallic flavour.
Once done, pour everything into a large pot: then add ½ teaspoon of cloves (zobo pepper as known in the market place in Nigeria), add 4 slices of dried ginger (this is common in Nigerian markets, especially where they sell spices), though you can still use fresh ginger when you cannot find dried ones. I like drying ginger and storing them during the dry season. I even grind dried ginger and store, I have one I ground about five years ago, it is fresh and we have been using it for soups and stew. It will remain fresh and spicy as ever. Try it and see.
After adding all the ingredients as listed, I start boiling; you can cook for about 30 minutes and bring the pot down. You can remove the calyxes with a slotted spoon; reserve it for another day by preserving it. You can then let it cool down before putting them into your preferred containers for preservation in the refrigerator.
In our next article, we are going to look at the business opportunities in Zobo both locally and internationally. A lot of people are making it big in the Zobo business, so come with us in our next article where we are going to breakdown all you need to know to start your own zobo business immediately.
Stay with us. Don’t forget that we train exporters and importers at our training centre. Get in touch with our admin to know more.
The edible variety of hibiscus, the hibiscus sabdarffa species is what we consume in Nigeria and we call it Hibiscus.
What is hibiscus?
People often and erroneously describe it as a flower. Well, I have grown up to know it as a flower, even in school; we used to call it “hibiscus flower”.
The hibiscus we cook, which is collection of sepals that is known as calyx, is the part of a flowering plant that protects the bud and protects the petal once it is in bloom. Before the plant flowers, the calyx resembles a pointed bud, holding the seed pod, but it unfurls as the flowers push through the pod.
Where did hibiscus originate from?
Hibiscus must have originated from any of the following regions; West Africa, East Africa, Northern India or South East Asia. Different countries have different names for hibiscus: some parts of West Africa call it bissap, the North Africans call it kakade. It is known as sorrel in Indonesia, Australia, across the Caribean and Latin America. In Thailand, it is Krachiap; luo shen hua in China, flor de Jamaica in Mexico and other countries of North America.
Other colors of hibiscus exist apart from the deep red color that the general public knows across the world. We have other colors from rose to yellow; one funny thing is that you should have expected the color differences to produce some flavor differences but that is not the case. The flavor is similar with all of them except some minor differences in the deeper ones being sourer of more tart. The darker varieties are also fuller and more robust.
How to make hibiscus drink:
One of the simplest hibiscus drinks to prepare is the one you make using the calyxes:
You need to rinse them in a large bowl of cold water, swish them around as you do with vegetables; this way any unwanted pieces and other impurities will sink to the bottom of the bowl. If you don’t take time you will think that your Zobo is being wasted as the water is turning red fast, take heart the flavour will not be lost. After washing off sand and other dirt, I lift them out of the first bowl into a container to be used.
How I combine the ingredients for my favorite Zobo drink:
I combine 1 cup of cold-rinsed dried Zobo with 2 litres of water. Be sure that the quantity of zobo matches the quantity of water you are using. You must use your head. I like soaking the mixture for about 2 hours, it can even be overnight in a non-metallic container. Remember that hibiscus is acidic in nature, if you do not take time it can start leaching out metallic flavour.
Once done, pour everything into a large pot: then add ½ teaspoon of cloves (zobo pepper as known in the market place in Nigeria), add 4 slices of dried ginger (this is common in Nigerian markets, especially where they sell spices), though you can still use fresh ginger when you cannot find dried ones. I like drying ginger and storing them during the dry season. I even grind dried ginger and store, I have one I ground about five years ago, it is fresh and we have been using it for soups and stew. It will remain fresh and spicy as ever. Try it and see.
After adding all the ingredients as listed, I start boiling; you can cook for about 30 minutes and bring the pot down. You can remove the calyxes with a slotted spoon; reserve it for another day by preserving it. You can then let it cool down before putting them into your preferred containers for preservation in the refrigerator.
In our next article, we are going to look at the business opportunities in Zobo both locally and internationally. A lot of people are making it big in the Zobo business, so come with us in our next article where we are going to breakdown all you need to know to start your own zobo business immediately.
Stay with us. Don’t forget that we train exporters and importers at our training centre. Get in touch with our admin to know more.
