How to Prepare Zobo Drink

See the step by step guide in how to prepare Zobo Drink. Zobo drink  is also known as Zoborodo. It is an ox-blood coloured . Nigerian beverage made from dried Roselle plant flowers. Names zobo is called in different regions and how

• Zobo drink/Zoborodo- In Northern Nigeria
• Isapa – In Yorubas in the South Western Nigeria
• Lumanda/Chibemba-In Zambia
• Omulete-Namibia
• Womjo- In Gambia
• Rosella/Rosella fruit- In Australia
• Belchanda- In Nepal
• Grosella- In Paraguay
• Sobolo – In Ghana
• Bissap – In Niger, Senegal, Burkina faso, Benin, France, Congo and Guinea Bissau.
• Jamaican Sorrel- In Caribbean & Latin America
• Dah/Dah/Bleni- In Mali
• Karkade- In Egypt, Sudan, & Saudi Arabia
• Flor de Jamaica- In Mexico

Zobo is a popular nutritious drink filled with enormous health benefits such as

• Treatment for urinary tract infection
• It boost the function of the kidney
• Great source of vitamin A
• Good for diabetic patient
• Help reduces cholesterol level
• It contains anti bacterial properties
• It decreases spasms in the stomach
• It contains an enzyme inhibitor which hinders the production of amylase thereby lower blood pressure
• It acts as a cold relief

I enjoy my Zobo drink using natural sweeteners and flavors like honey, sugar cane juice, pineapple juice etc so as not to lose some of its health benefits. Alternatively there are artificial flavors and sweeteners such as Foster clarks flavor, Nutri C, jolly juice e.t.c where natural flavours and sweetners are not available.  Some prefer their juice more concentrated while some prefer less concentrated. Also know that the more concentrated, the more the juice will ferment or sour quickly

By the end of article, you should be able to know how to the popular tasty juice, zobo

Ingredients for Nigerian Zobo drink

The ingredients listed below is for five litres of zobo . It’s possible to get more with the same quantity of ingredients depending on your concentration. If you are making use of the artificial flavours, more water is needed

• 50g Zobo leaves”Hibiscus sabdariffa”
• 1 big very ripe pineapple
• 1 glove of garlic
• 1 big piece of ginger
• Enough water

To garnish:

Feel free to add any sliced citrus fruits of your choice: orange, lemon, lime.

Directions

• Wash the dry zobo leaves thoroughly. They are usually very dusty. You might feel that washing it may remove all the colours and flavor but surprisingly when you start boiling you will see that the colours are intact
• Wash the pineapple, peel and cut them into thinly size. You can also add the back of the pineapple i.e the skin. But make sure it’s been washed thoroughly
• Peel ,wash and cut the ginger into tiny pieces and set aside
• Place the zobo leaves into a big pot
• Add the chunks of pineapple and add water just slightly above the contents of the pot
• Leave to boil for 5mins under medium heat
• Add the ginger and garlic, and top water to the content; allow boiling for at least 30 minutes. At this point , the Zobo and pineapple should be completely soft
• Remove from heat, set aside to cool down
• When it has completely cool down, seize the Zobo leaves and pineapples to extract its juice, leaving just the juice in the pot
• Pass the juice through a sieve to take off unwanted particles then again its being passed through a cotton cloth to get rid of the tinniest particles
• Add any artificial flavor of your choice and stir
• pour them in bottles and refrigerate
• Zobo is ready!
• Serve cold