Traditionally, Gikuyu men have kept beehives in their gardens to harvest the honey to use as a sweetener, as medicine, to make traditional beer (called muratina), and as a food preservative to make products like rukuri. To make rukuri, honey is harvested and stared in wooden containers. When an animal is slaughtered, it is then cut into pieces, roasted, and dipped in the honey. It is a traditional dish of the Kikuyu people that can be prepared with meat from sheep, goat, or cattle. Normally, the roasted meat pieces would be dipped, then removed to be stored in a raised, grass-thatched wooden vessel called ikumbi. The honey acts as a way to preserve the meat without refrigeration by drawing out moisture. It also improves the flavor of the meat and adds a complementary sweet flavor. Less commonly, roasted meat might be dipped in honey and eaten right away, without time in storage. However, rukuri that has been aged for a few days is considered to have a better flavor. Being a preservation method, rukuri was once eaten on a daily basis. However, during special occasions, such as celebrating the payment of a dowry or other rites of passage, special pieces of meat would be dipped into freshly harvested honey to prepare for guests at the special occasion. There is a Kikuyu saying associated with rukuri, ni nyama kana ni rukuri? which means, “is it just a meat, or is it rukuri?” Another saying is used when someone tries to hide something or information from another person, when one might ask, kari rukuri? meaning, “is it rukuri?” to imply that whatever is being hidden must be of great value. Cama ta rukuri is another saying, which means “as sweet as rukuri.” This collection of sayings shows the importance of this product among the Agikuyu community, and that it is considered irreplaceable by other products. Rukuri is mainly made in the area of Githunguri in central Kenya. The quantity made depends on the amount of honey and the pieces of meat available to the producers. It is made in the home for personal and family consumption, but not found for sale. While rukuri is considered a special treat, fewer and fewer individuals still make it today. Many have adopted other methods of preservation, such as refrigeration. In addition, the cost of procuring beehives and beekeeping materials is high, so fewer people keep their own bees. A limited knowledge about this traditional food preservation method among younger generations means that this typical Kenyan food may soon be lost.
FAQs
What is Rukuri in Kikuyu? ›
To make rukuri, honey is harvested and stared in wooden containers. When an animal is slaughtered, it is then cut into pieces, roasted, and dipped in the honey. It is a traditional dish of the Kikuyu people that can be prepared with meat from sheep, goat, or cattle.
What happens when you pour honey over meat? ›Research from the University of Illinois in the US has found that honey's antioxidant qualities can help preserve meat without compromising taste, at the same time as slowing the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), a process that leads to atherosclerotic plaque deposition.
How long can honey preserve food? ›For a shorter preservation time, you can refrigerate your fruit of choice in a jar filled with honey. This will keep your fruit fresh for a couple of weeks.
Can you cure food in honey? ›The sugar added to meat for the purpose of curing it comes in many forms, including honey, corn syrup solids, and maple syrup.
What is the meaning of Rukuri? ›'Rukuri' is a Kikuyu method of preserving meat dipped. in honey.
What is the Kikuyu name of God? ›Ngai (also called Múrungu or Enkai) is the monolithic Supreme God in the spirituality of the Kikuyu (or Gikuyu) and the closely related Embu, Meru and Kamba groups of Kenya, and the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania. Ngai is the creator of the universe and all in it.
Can honey go rancid? ›“Honey does not spoil, however for best quality, the USDA recommends storing honey for up to 12 months,” Amidor says. “After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. If the honey becomes cloudy, crystallized or solidified this is not a food safety concern.”
Does honey expire after 100 years? ›Natural, properly preserved honey will not expire. In fact, archeologists found honey thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it was still good! While most of us don't need to worry about honey that old, their discovery proves that if properly contained, real honey can last for a very, very long time.
Can you preserve fruit with honey instead of sugar? ›- Select Your fruit and Honey.
- Decide How Long You Want to Keep Your Fruit Preserved.
- Create a Honey Syrup.
- Select and Prepare Canning Jars.
- Add Your Fruits To the Canning Jars.
- Pour The Honey Canning Syrup Over the Fruit.
- Process The Filled Jars in A Hot Water Bath Canner.
Botulism is caused by a neurotoxin (destroyed if heated at 80 °C for 10 minutes or longer) produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum , which is anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rod that commonly found in the soil.
Can bacteria grow in honey? ›
Most bacteria and other microbes cannot grow or reproduce in honey i.e. they are dormant and this is due to antibacterial activity of honey. Various bacteria have been inoculated into aseptically collected honey held at 20°C. The result showed loss of bacterial viability within 8–24 days 27.
Why should you not heat raw honey? ›Heating up to 40°C (104 F) destroys invertase, an important enzyme. Heating up to 50°C (122 F) for more than 48 hrs. turns the honey into caramel (the most valuable honey sugars become analogous to sugar). Heating honey higher than 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours will cause rapid degradation.
What is finger millet in Kikuyu? ›Kikuyu: ugimbi, mugimbi.
What is the Kikuyu word for girl? ›AD Family - Kairetu Is The Kikuyu Word For 'Girl'.
What is wife in Kikuyu? ›In Kamba culture husbands are called Mutumia. Wives in Kikuyu are called Mutumia: So in our marriage we are all Mutumias.
How do you say you are beautiful in Kikuyu? ›Muthaka, Nyarari, Nyoko are the top translations of "Beautiful" into Kikuyu.