West Africa · Drink
Brukina (Steamed Millet Pearls with Fermented Cow Milk)
Chewy steamed pearl millet grains suspended in sweet, cardamom-spiced cultured milk.
The story
Brukina originated among Sahelian pastoralists and flourished within northern Ghanaian Zongo settlements as a nutritious, portable meal-in-a-cup for laborers and travelers. The drink is celebrated for balancing the nutty chew of steamed pearl millet with the tart richness of unpasteurized cultured cow milk. An essential technical secret among veteran producers is par-steaming the hand-rolled millet pellets twice with a resting rest between cycles to prevent the starch from dissolving into the yogurt base.
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