Understanding Traditional Meat Processing Knowledge among the Borana Pastoralist of Northern Kenya

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge on food preparation is an activity practised in almost all agricultural production system. Amongst the Borana pastoralist of Northern Kenya, milk and meat production are the cornerstone of livelihood, and more often abundance occurs without possibility of immediate consumption, triggering the need to preserve surplus for future consumption. The objective of this paper is to document and understand traditional meat preparation knowledge amongst Borana pastoralist’s women of Northern Kenya.The method of collecting information included in-depth interviews and participant observations to document meat preparation skills and knowledge of Borana people as appertains to traditional food ways. It was observed that methods of traditional meat processing and preparation included different forms of drying, use of heat and storage in fat. Fourteen traditional meat products and seven preservation techniques were documented. Drying and deep frying were the major form of meat preservation. Women skillfully put a lot of effort in all stages of meat preparation to produce an end product that is not only shelf stable but traditional products that are appreciated and nutritious. It was observed that only four of the products are currently in use, an indication of steady decline in meat handling knowledge and preparation.

Sustainable livelihood approach for assessing the impacts of slaughterhouses on livelihood strategies among pastoralists in Kenya

“…Traditional containers (locally referred to as Ebur in Turkana and Dhola/Dhibe/Subb in Marsabit) were made from sculptured wood with a leather bottom and lid; these retailed at between USD 2.0 and USD 10.0 depending on size, with the smallest having a capacity of about 250 ml and the largest having a capacity of 2 l. These containers were not washed; rather, they were sanitized by fumigation using smoke from Balanites rotundifolia locally known as Elamach or Adung in Turkana. Similar practices have been reported in previous research (Dabasso et al 2018;Gichure et al 2014).…”

“…As reported in previous research, pastoral communities are increasingly diversifying their economic and social activities through value addition of meat and meat by-products, as well as engaging in crop farming, trade, and craftsmanship (Headey et al 2014;Rojas-Downing et al 2017). Cultural diversity during processing was observed among different communities which implies weakening or lost ties among pastoralists (Dabasso et al 2018;Gichure 2017).…”

Using Okara Powder as a Fiber Source in Beef Burger

“…The data in Table 2, also showed that the pH value of okara was 6.80 while the pH value of frozen meat was 5.50, The pH values of this study agreed with the values of pH obtained by Dabasso et al (2018) who indicated that the pH value was 5.71 in the thigh of beef while Ray et al(1984) found that the pH value was 5.6.…”

Mainstreaming Local Food Species for Nutritional and Livelihood Security: Insights From Traditional Food Systems of Adi Community of Arunachal Pradesh, India

“…A combined methodology is considered to be very effective in conducting in-depth interviews and discussions for collecting the knowledge (data) on traditional food practices (40). In addition to personal interviews, participant observation was applied as a participatory tool with knowledge holders to study some key food practices in the real field situations (41,42).…”