KILISHI (HAUSA JERKY)

Hausa people has different ways use for preparing delicious meats in the world and they've many ways of keeping it for long time use. Some of  those ways are Suya(Fry meat),Tsire, kilishi (jerky) Dambun nama(grinded meat) etc in some parts of Nigeria especially southern part use to call all those kinds of meat as SUYA, unknowing that Suya is just one of the kind of meat prepared by Hausas.

Taskar Afrika will explain about one of the way Hausa people use for preserving and making a delicious meat "KILISHI (HAUSA JERKY)".

Kilishi is a version of jerky that originates in Hausaland which consists of most of Southern Niger and Northern Nigeria. It is a form of dried meat, typically made with beef, Lamb and mutton or chevon. It is just like a dried form of Suya and it's produced from slabs of meat seasoned with salt, pepper and spices, smoked and dried. It is sun-dried to preserve it for long-term storage. It is a Nigerian delicacy commonly eaten with pap (akamu) and cassava flakes (garri).

PREPARATION OF KILISHI:

It is prepared by drying thin strips of meat in the sun. Generally it is made with beef but can also be prepared from camel, lamb, and goat. These strips are then coated in a paste made from peanuts and various condiments and vegetables, such as onion, and multiple spices. The resulting product is left to dry for a few hours in the sun and then roasted for a few minutes over high heat. There are significant variations in preparation methods across the region.

Kilishi was born out of necessity, to preserve meat for longer as the lean meat supplies protein enough for merchants traveling through the Sahara for trade.

Kilishi can be kept for months without much change in taste.

The paste used in making Kilishi is called labu. It is prepared by diluting groundnut paste with water. Spices, salt, ground onions, and sometimes sweeteners such as honey are added for flavor. Date fruit are also added as sweeteners. The dried "sheets" of meat are then immersed one by one in the labu paste to coat them before being left to dry for hours.

Have you ever tasted it?

Source: Taskar Afrika

#africa