Amasi
Amasi (in Zulu and Xhosa), maas (in Afrikaans), or mafi (in Sesotho), is a fermented milk product that is similar to cottage cheese or plain yogurt. It is a popular snack in South Africa and Lesotho. Preparation. Amasi is traditionally prepared by storing unpasteurised cow's milk in a calabash container ( ) or hide sack to allow it to ferment. The fermenting milk develops a watery substance called "umlaza"; the remainder is amasi. This thick liquid is mostly poured over mealie meal porridge called pap. (), It is traditionally served in a clay pot () and eaten with wooden spoons, but it  can also be drunk. I. Amasi is also produced commercially using "Lactococcus lactis", along with subspecies of L. lactis. Benefits. Amasi can benefit gastrointestinal health. Probiotics within amasi can improve digestive health, helping to ease common issues such as bloating and constipation. Amasi can also boost a person's immune system. In culture. Zulu. Traditionally, Zulus believe that amasi makes a man strong, healthy, and desired. During "taboos", such as periods during menstruation or when a person has been in contact with death, the affected person must abstain from amasi. Milk is hardly ever drunk fresh, but it is sometimes  used to thin amasi which is deemed too thick to be used. South Africa. Nelson Mandela mentions how he cautiously left a friends's apartment (his hiding place in a "white" area when he was wanted by the apartheid government) after he overheard two Zulu workers comment that it was strange to see milk on the window sill (left out to ferment) because whites seldom drank amasi. Amasi is also popular in South African Indian cuisine where it is used similarly to curd. Xhosa. In the Xhosa culture, a bride is served amasi and a piece of meat as a  sign of being welcomed into her new family.