How To Prepare Zobo Drink

Zobo is an affordable and tasty drink used as a light refreshment at parties, ceremonies, or just for leisure at home. Because of its health benefits, it has become popular among Nigerians. This article is the only guide you need on how to prepare zobo drink.

Zobo, also called Zoborodo, is the Hausa word for the edible plant Hibiscus sabdariffa and the famous drink its extract is used to make. Despite having its roots in Northern Nigeria, this drink is now enjoyed in many countries around the world and has been dubbed many names.

As it is made from dried Roselle leaves, w species of the Hibiscus plant, Anglophonic countries refer to this drink as Hibiscus tea. In the North-Eastern African country called Sudan, it is referred to as Karkade, and the Mexicans gave it the name Aguas Fresa meaning “Strawberry Water.”

This is to emphasize the popularity and acceptance of the drink in modern communities.

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The primary ingredient of a typical Zobo drink is the dried leaves of the Roselle plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa) which can be supported by other additives such as pineapples, cucumbers, tiger nuts, coriander, hazel nuts, lavender, etc.

This is why Zobo, taken from different vendors, will have distinctness in taste, texture, heat, and aftertaste.

The Taste of Zobo

Zobo has a distinct sour but pleasant taste. At first taste, it might come off as being caustic. This is a result of the presence of ginger included in its preparation. It has a smooth texture in the mouth and a hot aftertaste.

It has no adverse effect on your breath like coffee which does not make talking to people a hassle. This beverage, just like wine, possesses its nuance, but this can be tweaked depending on certain factors. These factors include:

Its maker: The maker of this beverage might prefer it sweet and will prepare it that way using sugar or other sweeteners. Others, however, like it fruity and will use the natural taste of the fruits used to influence its taste.
Age: Zobo is best appreciated when fresh. When it spends days on the shelf or in the freezer, its sweetness increases which betray its innate sour taste, it has a shelf life of 24-38 hours after production, after which it begins to deteriorate in taste.
Temperature: It is believed that zobo is a drink that is at its best when chilled. However, it has been discovered that zobo, all versions of it, tastes better between temperatures of 8°C to 10°C(47°F to 50°F). Too cold, and it will have a bland taste. Too warm, and one of its constituents will overshadow the rest.
Consumption technique: This is where zobo has considerable similarity to wine. The bottle, cup, or glassware used to drink affects the taste. Narrow containers like champagne flutes and slender plastic bottles lead to better aeration. The thinner the container, the more air it can access, and the better the taste.

Health Benefits of Zobo

Zobo is a very beneficial drink to its consumer’s health. These benefits include:

Restoration of appetite

Roselle leaves contain potent nutrients like Vitamin C, zinc, niacin, fiber, thiamine, and beta-carotene, which revive your desire.

Address High Blood Pressure

Numerous studies show that taking zobo regularly can control high blood pressure, especially in adults with prehypertension and mild hypertension.

This is made possible by the enzyme inhibitor in the hibiscus plant leaves, which limits the production of amylase, an enzyme linked to the breakdown of starches and complex sugars.

The pressure in the major blood vessels will eventually become lower after this has been successfully inhibited. Additionally, the Roselle leaves used to make zobo have additional anti-hypertensive characteristics that are also in charge of controlling blood sugar levels, which may also reduce lower blood pressure.

Eliminate Constipation Issue

As was already said, the Zobo drink is loaded with several powerful nutrients, and fiber is one of those nutrients. Given that fiber is a proven digestive system enhancer, Zobo’s high fiber content makes it a healthy beverage for preventing constipation.

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Note: Pregnant women are advised to stay away from zobo, though, as it increases the weight of both mother and fetus significantly. This is still being donated, and more research is being carried out, but it is wise to be safe.

How To Prepare Zobo Drink

As stated earlier, there are different ways by which this drink can be prepared. Hence, there will be hundreds of recipes out there that will be different from the one in this article. Below is one of those recipes for zobo.

THE CITRUS COCKTAIL

Ingredients

2 cups of dry roselle or zobo leaves
Two tablespoons of cloves(kanafuru)
Two fresh ginger stumps
Slices of your preferred citrus fruit, such as orange, lemon, or lime, for garnish
Water
One large and ripe Pineapple fruit.

Before preparing the zobo drink, thoroughly rinse the dust off the dry zobo leaves because they are frequently very dusty.

The pineapple should be washed, peeled, and sliced into tiny bits. When preparing the zobo beverage, some people also include the pineapple peel. If you dislike this, its exclusion will not adversely affect your drink.

The ginger pieces should be peeled and sliced into little bits.

Depending on how strong you want the zobo drink to be and whether you plan to use artificial flavors, which call for extra water, the recipe yields roughly 6 liters.

Zobo Preparation Steps

Place the clean zobo leaves in a large pot.
Add the pineapples and then add enough water to cover the contents of the pot completely.
Begin cooking at medium-high heat and let the mixture boil for five minutes. Once you begin boiling the dry zobo leaves, you will notice that they retain a significant amount of color. It will appear as though all the flavors and colors of the zobo are being washed off. This should not be a reason to worry, as it is normal.
Add more water and the ginger and continue to simmer for at least 30 minutes. The zobo leaves will become entirely soft, and the pineapples will become sensitive at this point.
Please turn off the heat so that it may fully cool.
Squeeze the juice from the zobo leaves and pineapples once they have cooled, leaving nothing else in the pot.
To remove any remaining large particles and leave only the smallest ones, pour the juice through a sieve.
If you’d like, you can add artificial flavors and sweeteners like Nutri-C and sugar, but it will taste fine without them.

Final Notes on How to Prepare Zobo Drink

Zobo is a wholesome beverage that has risen through the ranks to be popular in the intercontinental belt. It is packed with many nutrients, which make it healthy and with significant benefits in stock for its consumer. Despite all these, it has proven to be easy and quick to prepare, all while costing relatively little.

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