Zobo Drink
Overview
Zobo is the Nigerian name for a deep red infusion made from dried hibiscus calyces, and it is one of the few drinks that crosses every line in the country, sold from coolers at motor parks, poured at weddings, made at home in large jugs and kept cold for whoever passes through. The same flower travels under different names almost everywhere it is drunk. In Senegal and much of francophone West Africa it is bissap. In Ghana it is sobolo. Across the Caribbean it is sorrel, carried there through the Atlantic trade and now inseparable from Christmas. In Egypt it is karkade. The plant is Hibiscus sabdariffa, and what is steeped is not the petal but the calyx, the fleshy cup left behind after the flower falls. What varies from house to house is what goes in beside it. Ginger and cloves are near universal in the Nigerian version. Beyond that the argument is open, pineapple skin, garden egg leaf, cucumber, lemongrass, a stick of cinnamon. Sweetness is the real dividing line: purists take it plain and tart, while most drinkers add sugar or fruit juice until it turns almost like a cordial. It is caffeine-free, which is part of why it is poured for everyone including children, and it holds its colour for days in the fridge.
AFN Heritage Note
Hibiscus sabdariffa is documented in West African use long before the drink reached the wider world, and the same calyx underpins bissap in Senegal, sobolo in Ghana and karkade in Egypt. The Caribbean sorrel tradition descends from the same plant carried across the Atlantic.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Wash the zobo leaves in order to remove the dust from the leaves.
- 2
Peel the pineapple and use the back of the pineapple.
- 3
Put the zobo leaves, pineapple back with the ginger and cook on medium heat. Cook for like 10mins.
- 4
When done you will see the colour of the drink will come out.
- 5
Pour the boiled leaves into a sieve, so as to separate the leave from the water.
- 6
Let it cool and add sugar to taste.
- 7
Serve chilled, ENJOY.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Beatrice Ige- Steep rather than boil hard, a long steep in water just off the boil draws colour and flavour without the flat, stewed taste that a rolling boil produces.
- Sweeten at the end, not the start. The tartness varies with the batch of calyces, so taste before you commit.
- Strain twice if you want it clear. The second pass through a fine sieve or muslin catches the sediment that clouds it.
- Ginger is the one addition almost nobody leaves out. Slice it rather than grating it if you want warmth without heat.
- It keeps three to four days covered in the fridge and the flavour deepens overnight.
Reviews
4 reviews
You Might Also Like
Browse all Nigerian recipes →
Edo Black Soup
Nigerian Fisherman Soup
Igbo Yam Porridge
My sister brought back dried hibiscus leaves from West Africa so I tried this today. I was so confused when you said use the pineapple back! But I boiled the peels sommer straight in with the ginger and leaves for 10 minutes like you said. The mauve colour came out so rich and my kitchen smells amazing. Added a bit of extra sugar while straining it through the sieve.
Chale, the pineapple back is where the real secret is hide oo! In Ghana we call this Sobolo, and without those peels, the flavour won't hit properly at all. Glad the ginger and hibiscus worked out for you, but next time try adding a bit of cloves too, it will taste proper paa.
Please make sure people wash those zobo leaves well abeg, the amount of sand and dust that came out before I boiled mine was plenty. But using the pineapple peel with plenty ginger is the secret sha, it gives that sharp bite when chilled. E sweet well well, my family finished the whole jar in one afternoon o.
Spot on about the washing! The first rinse looked like proper mud, reminded me of cleaning dried spices and herbs at home. That ginger kick is brilliant though, it gives it the same lovely sharp warmth as a good masala chai spice base, especially served ice cold.