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Ting ya mabele

Ting ya mabele, is traditionally a type of food from the Batswana people, made from fermented sorghum. Ting ya mabele is prepared by mixing sorghum meal with warm water (which has partially cooled after being boiled) and then allowing it to ferment in a closed container for about 2-3 days. Fermentation is primarily caused by lactic acid bacteria. As soon as the mixture has bubbles in it, fermentation has begun, and the ting is ready when its aroma becomes "bitter." In this process, the ting is cooked with water and salt (and sometimes maize meal as well) to make porridge. Porridge should be stirred frequently during cooking in order to prevent lumps.

There are two different methods for cooking it; for making thick porridge, called bogobe, the ting is cooked longer and with less water, and for making thin porridge, called motogo, it is heavily diluted and cooked only for a short time.You can eat motogo or bogobe at any time during the day. In the Tswana and Basotho cultures, ting is fermented porridge, and the term mabele refers to fermented sorghum meal used to make ting.

Ting ya mabele can be served with variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes and it's highly nutritious, rich in antioxidants, and helps with your digestive health.

History

Ting ya mabele is from the Tswana community of Botswana, and also from the northern parts of South Africa (especially the North West province) to the Basotho people. Over the past 30 years or so, the Tswana of South Africa have become less likely to consume traditional ting ya mabele, due to the prevalence and accessibility of alternatives that require less preparation time. While sorghum ting can be found pre-made, maize porridges are the most popular substitutes for ting ya mabele due to their white look and texture.The fact that South Africa's maize is largely genetically modified (up to 80 percent) makes this even more problematic.

Some people attempt to reproduce the sour taste of traditional ting by adding vinegar or lemon juice to non-fermented maize porridge, but these results bear little resemblance to the original, traditional one. Most people no longer grind their own sorghum meal (this practice persists only in some rural communities) and some add tartaric acid to prevent fermentation occurring for 2-3 days.

Tswana communities in South Africa no longer consume ting ya mabele on a daily basis, as they used to: The food has become a celebration food, used only for funerals, weddings, and other significant occasions. In these contexts, ting ya mabele is used as an honor offering to ancestors who rarely ate white maize meal and to recognize their presence during a ceremony.