Camels Are Food, Milk, Function and Fashion

Interesting facts for the curious mind about camels and camel milk

Camel population in Kenya, Mali and Sudan rank below Somalia which has around 5.3 million heads. Camels are big business in Somalia, with a general annual export value estimated at over $250 million. There are two species of camels, one-humped Arabian camels or dromedaries the camels of the plains; and two-humped Bactrian camels the camels of the mountains.

The camel, like the cow, has a four-quartered udder. There are four teats, each having two holes. The camels are milked an average of three times a day and depending on the season, dry or rainy, the average milk production is about 5-30 liters per day. Camels lactate for about a year and unlike cows, which store all their milk in their udders, camels keep their milk further up their bodies.

Camels ‘milk is generally opaque white. Normally it has a sweet and sharp taste, but sometimes it is salty and at times the milk tastes watery. Some people think camel milk tastes terrible but you are the judge. Camel’s milk is frothy and the type of food and the availability of drinking water cause changes in taste. Camel milk is rich in vitamin C, has more fat and protein and lower in lactose than cow's milk.

Medical studies may suggest camels milk promote particular antibodies and maybe a natural remedy for treating autism spectrum disorder. Parents who give their children a certain amount of camel milk daily have reported better sleep, increased motor planning abilities, and spatial awareness, more eye contact, better language, as well as less gastrointestinal problems. However, more studies are still being conducted on autism spectrum disorder being helped by camel milk. 

Somalia camels raised for food, milk, and function and fashion

Did you know? 

Camel meat is not universally eaten except in Egypt and Somalia were tens of thousands of camels are slaughtered yearly. Camel hides are used for making shoes and sandals, making rope; the hair is used for making tents, carpets, coats, blankets and quilts and mattresses. In Somalia soap is made by extracting bone marrow, which is boiled and mixed with caustic soda.

About camel milk

Sweet Chocolate Camel Milk Recipe

Camel milk is the staple of the desert nomads’ diet and is the main source of water standing off dehydration and hunger in the harsh desert climate of Africa. 

Most camels’ milk is consumed raw, unpasteurized, or soured, it has a sweet and sharp taste, but sometimes it is salty, however, the type of food and the amount of drinking water consumed by the camel cause the changes in taste. Camels can yield ample amounts of milk in dry desert regions where other animals such as cows and sheep’s and goats have very low production.

Camels' milk is naturally acidic having a pH between 6.5–6.7. Due to the natural high acidic nature of camel milk and the desert environment usually associated with nomads.

According to USA Today, camel farms with breeding camels are adopting camel milking programs in the states of Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, with new milking programs set to open in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The camel population in the U.S. is estimated at 5,000.

Sweet Chocolate Camel Milk Recipe

Ingredients    

3 cups camel milk

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Add milk and water into a large pot and boil 5 minutes, add chocolate, sugar and vanilla stir well. Remove from heat. Drink warm or cold. 

Camels, goats, sheeps livestock are the backbone of the Somali economy 

Did you know?

Camels in Somalia are all of the one-humped Arabian camel. The livestock sector is the backbone of the Somali economy since it produces employment opportunities for over 60% of Somalians. Somalia ranks amongst the ten poorest countries in the world. With a population of around 12.3 million, it is estimated that 43 percent of the population lives in extreme poverty living on less than 1 US dollar a day. Somalia’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US $284 is the fifth-lowest in the world.

Getting to Know Africa

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Clean Eating is nothing new to Africans

Clean eating is not a diet fad it is a lifestyle of eating food in its most natural state in Africa.

Chic African Culture has 15 plantings home garden safety tips for clean eating. Follow Africa's clean eating example by choosing natural foods as often as possible, foods grown and eaten from your home garden.

Clean Eating and Home Gardening

Home gardening, as well as clean eating, is nothing new to Africans; it has always been a way of life growing a traditional home garden of leafy vegetables, tubers, and herbs grown in simple containers or small pots. 

Home gardening has always been an important source of food for African rural and urban individuals and families.

More often than not, when we are clean eating, we eat fresh fruit and vegetables raw so we cannot rely on the heat of cooking to destroy pathogens that might be on our produce, it is important to prepare raw produce with food safety in mind.

15 planting a home garden safety tips for clean eating

1. Locate vegetable gardens away from manure piles, well caps, garbage cans, septic systems and areas where wildlife, farm animals, or the family pets roam.

2. Be very familiar with the quality and safety of the water source you use in your garden.  

3. Do not feed wild animals, even birds, near your garden.

4. Do not use any animal waste, including pet waste, meat scraps or dairy product waste into your compost bin.

5. Use clean gloves that have not been used to stir compost or pull weeds or clean hands when picking produce.

6. Use clean, food-grade containers to collect food. Food-grade containers are made from materials designed specifically to safely hold food. Garbage bags, trash cans, and any containers that originally held chemicals such as household cleaners or pesticides are not food-grade.

Clean Eating and picking beans in Ethiopia

7. Brush, shake or rub off any excess garden soil or debris before bringing produce into the kitchen.

8. If you choose to wash fruits and vegetables before storing, be sure to dry them thoroughly with a clean paper towel. However, never wash berries until you are ready to eat them.

9. Store unwashed produce in plastic bags or containers.

10. Keep fruit and vegetable bins clean.

11. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables even if you do not plan to eat the skin or rind.

12. When washing produce fresh from the warm outdoors, the rinse water should not be more than 10 degrees colder than the produce. If you are washing refrigerated produce, use cold water.

Home gardening, as well as clean eating, is nothing new to Africans

13. Never use soap, detergent, or bleach solution to wash fresh fruits or vegetables. These solutions can affect flavor and may not be safe to ingest.

14. Fruits and vegetables needing refrigeration can be stored at 40° F or less.

15. Fruits and vegetables stored at room temperature, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, should be in a cool, dry, pest-free, well-ventilated area separate from household chemicals.

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Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone

Africa Youth

Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone African proverb teaches love, security and recognition should be at the heart of family life.

Teaching Lesson African Proverb

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

7-29-2016

Children need leading in the right direction. When one hits you with a stone, you do not hit others with a piece of cotton.

It is easy to recognize when a child needs food when they are hungry and warm clothes when they are cold. Yet, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious. Children need leading in the right direction. When children grow up without love they look for love and acceptance wherever they can find it because they never experienced love in a healthy way. Abuse can disrupt a child's emotional development.

Abuse can derail a child's emotional development 

More teaching lesson African sayings, quotes and proverbs

If better were within, better would come out.

When one hits you with a stone, you do not hit others with a piece of cotton.

In time, a mouse will gnaw through a cable.

More than one war has been kindled by a single word.

Falsehood is the devil's daughter and speaks her father's tongue.

Do not depend on people who make great pretensions and boast of their power and influence, for they will fail you in time of need.

Sometimes you sow red beans and white beans grow.

As we are inwardly, so shall we appear outwardly.

The learned have eyes; the ignorant have merely two spots on the face.

To a cussed vessel, every wind is opposing.

As a man's heart is so does he speak.

 A little stone may upset a large cart.

As is the king, so will the virtue be.

Did you know?
By 2050 Africa will house half of the world's population.

African Folklore Story of How the Elephant Got Its’ Trunk

African folklore storytelling recounts the adventures of people and animals, and enlightens us on the mysteries of nature. One person does not invent folktales but they belong to the entire village, they are in the bones and the stones of the village.

African Folklore Story of How the Elephant Got Its’ Trunk

Now it is a matter of common knowledge that The elephant has a long trunk, which he uses both as a nose and as a sort of hand. It is a very useful trunk indeed. But he was once without it, and had a very ordinary short snout like other animals.

Elephant was always inquisitive and went sniffing about the forest, prying into the secrets of the other animals. One day he came across a dark hole in the ground, and into this hole, he poked his nose, to see what was there.

He at once regretted his curiosity, for a large snake, which lived in the hole, seized him by the nose and tried to swallow him. At this, the Elephant made a great uproar, and his wife came rushing to his assistance. She seized his tail and pulled and pulled, and the Elephant himself also pulled and pulled, but the snake would not leave go.

As a result, the Elephant’s nose was drawn out into the long trunk which he still has today.

At first, he was ashamed to appear in the forest, because of his trunk, but now the other animals envy him.

One day the monkey, which imitates everybody, looked down the same hole, thinking it would be good to have a long trunk to be able to swing from the trees by his nose. But, the big snake who lived in the hole swallowed him, and since then nobody else has tried to imitate Elephant.

Did you know?

Africa houses over 85% of the world’s elephants.

African Folktales three facts

African folktales usually have sly animals and spirits as the main characters.

Anansi is one of the most beloved African folktale characters. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories.

Reading African folktales will help kids make connections to their cultural heritage.

South Africans of Indian origin have retained their cooking traditions; Indian influences have contributed to the rainbow nation diversity of South Africa. South African Indian fish curry is a classic Indian recipe.

The first Indians arrived during the Dutch colonial era, as slaves, in 1684. In the decades, 1690 to 1725 over 80% of the slaves were Indians. This practice continued until the end of slavery in 1838. The Indian population in South Africa lives mostly in, Durban. South Africa has an Indian population of over 1 million people of Indian descent.

South African­ Indian Style Fish Curry

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds white fish fillets

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon garam masala

10 fresh curry leaves

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large red tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 hot pepper, finely chopped

½ cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Water

Directions

Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium to high heat. Mix spices well and add onto a plate. Dredge fish in spice mixture until completely coated. Add the coated fish pieces, fry for 3 minutes, cooked through. Remove fish, add mustard seeds, cover the pan with a lid, and fry until they start to pop. Add the onion and curry leaves and continue to fry for a further 4­5 minutes. Add the tomatoes; ginger, garlic, and pepper continue to fry, stirring well, for 3­4 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir well. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened, add water to the mixture if necessary. Serve over rice. 

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Our South African­ Indian Style Fish Curry is really good food you can make today.
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Endangered mountain gorillas are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, disease, and war in forested volcanoes that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and The Democratic Republic of Congo.

Endangered mountain gorillas are herbivores

Mountain Gorilla Sightseeing in Rwanda and Uganda

Rwanda is one of only three countries in the world where the critically endangered mountain gorillas live in the wild. There are only around 1,000-700 mountain gorillas remaining on earth. In 1967, there were only around 240 mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, however, today due to conservation efforts, the population of mountain gorillas has doubled.

The endangered mountain gorilla is an herbivore living in the Virungas, a cluster of forested volcanoes that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and spans four national parks, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Virunga National Park.

The mountain gorilla is a high-altitude race of the eastern gorilla, the larger of Africa’s two gorilla species, and distinguished by its dense fur, which protects it from the colder highlands climate. It lives in troops of 10-30 creatures, over which a silverback male, named for his cape of white hair reigns. Silverback males can sometimes weigh up to 400 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, females, 215 pounds and 5 feet tall.

If you want to experience gorilla trekking in Rwanda your first requirement is a permit, which will cost around $350- $750 in Rwanda or Uganda. The gorilla permit will get you one hour with the gorillas in their natural high-altitude surroundings. Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park is home to 10 mountain gorilla families who can be visited by one group of eight visiting a day.

Mountain gorilla speech vocalizations

Mountain gorillas screams, hoots, roars, and growls are all part of their repertoire but so too are smaller, subtler sounds and gestures that are just as important for being understood in their social groups. These vocalizations, or verbal communications, can be associated with different behaviors including play, feeding, anger, and alarm, and can also be used alongside specific gestures and expressions.

About 17 distinct vocalizations are recognized, many of which are used primarily for group communication within dense vegetation. Sounds classified as grunts and barks are heard most frequently while traveling, and indicate the whereabouts of individual group members. They may also be used during social interactions when discipline is required. Screams and roars signal alarm or warning and are produced most often by silverbacks.

Deep, rumbling belches suggest contentment and are heard frequently during feeding and resting periods. They are the most common form of intragroup communication. The fur of the mountain gorilla, often thicker and longer than that of other gorilla species, enables them to live in colder temperatures. Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual.

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South African Indian Chickpea Curry Recipe

Chickpea Curry (Chole Masala) is a traditional vegetarian South African Indian recipe using a blend of chickpeas, vegetables and eight spices.

South African Indian Chickpea Curry Chole Masala

 South African Indian Chickpea Curry Chole Masala

Ingredients

3 cups cooked chickpeas

1 large potato, cooked and cubed

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 large red tomato, diced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup vegetable broth or water

Directions

Heat oil in a large frying pan and sauté spices for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, chickpeas, and 1/2 cup of water or vegetable broth and heat for 5 minutes.

About the South African city of Durban

South Africans of Indian descent largely live in and around KwaZulu-Natals’ city of Durban, South Africa with a population of over one million. Durban is the third most populous city in South Africa after Johannesburg and Cape Town and the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Located on the east coast of South Africa, Durban is famous for being the busiest port in the country. Xhosa and Afrikaans are also commonly spoken languages in KwaZulu-Natal. Durban was founded in 1835 on the site of Port Natal and was named for Sir Benjamin D’Urban, the governor of the Cape Colony.

Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro Quiz

Mount Kilimanjaro Quiz

Take the quiz on Mount Kilimanjaro and test your mountain facts.

Explore and Understand Africa Through Her Food and Culture

7-24-2016

Polo-Polo, the questions can be tricky so pay close attention to the details of each question before you answer.

The answers to the questions are below. Bahati nzuri, that is good luck in Swahili!

Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro Quiz

1. Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano that is comprised of three volcanic cones, Shira, Kibo and Mawenzi.

2. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, the highest freestanding mountain in the world and one of the Seven Summits.

3. An average climber can climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 15 days.

4. Mount Kilimanjaro is the most challenging mountain to climb in the world because from top to bottom, Kilimanjaro temperature ranges from 90 degree F to -10 degrees F.

5. Mount Kilimanjaro is completely located in Tanzania.

6. The first person to climb the mountain in a wheelchair is South African Bernard Goosen. He did it twice; first in 2003 and it took him nine days and the second time in 2007 when it took him only six days.

7. Kibo, is the highest point on the mountain and is a dormant volcano.

8. Climbers can climb the mountain by following one of the six established routes. Marangu Route is considered to be the most popular one.

9. Each year, almost 10 people die trying to climb the mountain.

10. Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim.

Let’s see how well you did! The answers are below

Answers to the Mount Kilimanjaro quiz

True

1. Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano that is comprised of three volcanic cones, Shira, Kibo and Mawenzi.

True

2. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, the highest freestanding mountain in the world and one of the Seven Summits.

False

3. An average climber depending on the route can climb Mount Kilimanjaro in 5-8 days.

False

4. While it is true Kilimanjaro temperature ranges from 90 degree F to -10 degrees F, on the border between Nepal and China, Makalu is considered one of the hardest of the 14 mountains to climb that are over 8,000 meters above sea level  and Annapurna in Nepal is the most dangerous mountain on the planet, 60 people have died climbing the mountain.

True

5. Mount Kilimanjaro is completely located in Tanzania.

True

6. The first person to climb the mountain in a wheelchair is South African Bernard Goosen. He did it twice; first in 2003 and it took him nine days and the second time in 2007 when it took him only six days.

True

7. Kibo is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and is a dormant volcano.

True

8. Climbers can climb the mountain by following one of the six established routes. Marangu Route is considered to be the most popular one.

True

9. Each year, almost 10 people die trying to climb Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro.

True

10. Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim.

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Climbing Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro quiz.
Mount Kilimanjaro on the African continent has more unknown history than known.

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Take the quiz on Mount Kilimanjaro and test your mountain facts. 



Mount Kilimanjaro African mountain