Central Africa · Side
Kishk (Sun-Dried Fermented Buttermilk and Bulgur Cakes)
Tart sun-dried fermented buttermilk and bulgur cakes reconstituted into a comforting, garlicky pastoralist broth.
The story
For generations, nomadic and semi-pastoral communities of Northern and Eastern Chad have relied on Kishk as a vital survival food during arduous transhumance migrations through the Sahel. Prepared at the end of the rainy season when milk is abundant, churned sour buttermilk is fermented with cracked wheat, hand-rolled into oval patties, and cured under the intense Saharan sun. When pasture greens dwindle in the dry months, these shelf-stable fermented cakes are crushed and reconstituted with meat broth over campfires. The result is an intensely savoury, sour-cream-like porridge packed with probiotics, minerals, and robust flavour.
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