The increasing popularity of Kalenjin sour milk widely known as Mursik is partly due to the fact that there is a flavor drawn from particular tree species that is used to preserve the guard popularly referred to as 'sotet'.
The specific tree species are meant to impart the preservative and the aromatic effect to milk.
No wonder Mursik remains to be the highest profile drink among Kalenjin athletes and Kalenjin ceremonies. However, there are different flavors of mursik depending on the raw materials they use during preparation of the guard.
Here are the two types of flavors used in the preparation of guard before mursik preservation;
Sertwet (Acacia)
It has a high tannin content in the bark of the tree. The acacia tree is split to fit the opening of the guard and dried by smoking for some time. When the acacia has dried, it is burnt to produce charcoal that is used to smear the walls of the guard.
Cheblayat (wattle tree)
It is mostly used because of its availability, easy to split to fit the opening of the guards and dries faster when smoked. The dried wattle tree is then burnt to produce charcoal which is then smeared on the walls of the guard.
Spare some time to come enjoy Mursik in the Rift Valley region. The flavors are out of this world.