Maheu, also spelled mahewu, is one of the oldest drinks in southern Africa and one of the most practical. A thin porridge of white maize meal is cooked, cooled and left to ferment naturally for a day or so, helped along by a spoonful of malted grain, until it turns pleasantly sour, much as yogurt does. Sweetened and served cold, it tastes like a cross between a smoothie and a glass of buttermilk, with a gentle tang and a body somewhere between drink and meal. It is a lactic ferment rather than an alcoholic one, and it is treated as a non alcoholic drink, poured for children and adults alike.

In Zimbabwe it is made at home and also sold ready made in cartons, sometimes flavored with banana or other fruit. It is cheap, nourishing and easy on the stomach, which is why people reach for it on a long hot day. Make a jug the day before the race; it is the most sustaining thing you can drink with your feet up.

The maheu

Ingredients

• 1 cup (160 g) fine white mealie meal
• 1 cup (240 ml) cold water
• 5 cups (1.2 liters) boiling water
• 2 tablespoons sorghum malt
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup (65 to 100 g) white sugar
• 1 pinch fine salt

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