ZOBO (HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA|SOBOLO|BISSAP) DRINK

I doubt if I know anyone that dislikes a chilled glass of juice or drink especially during a sunny weather. Thumbs up, if you are one......{Winks} I am 100+ percent sure that there will be someone out there, but I am yet to meet such person. So for those of us who enjoy glasses of drinks or juice, be it any type of juice or drink just as I do, then relax because I have a winning drink recipe to present to you right away. May I use this medium to share the zobo drink (hibiscus sabdariffa) with everyone of us.

This zobo drink recipe was just what I was preparing to share for couple of weeks ago but for few uncertainties, I saw myself procrastinating over and over again... But the fact that there is "no smoke without fire" is applicable to my failure to have shared this recipe long time ago. Ask me why? I realized that I had one of the vital ingredients for this drink missing in my kitchen so I had to wait until I could go to the farmers market to buy them. Full of great taste, slightly sweetened and flavoured with just enough pineapple, ginger and sugar to keep it super tasty, zobo drink is just the perfect drink for everyone.

Basically, Zobo is an annual or perennial herb that is botanically known as Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa). The drink is known as zobo or zoborodo drink by Nigerians and in some west African countries (Ghana) is it know as Sobolo Drink. Also other parts of the world have different names (like  bissap) for this drink, kindly comment below and let us know what it is called in your part of the plant.

This super drink Zobo, is very tasty, colourful and highly medicinal. This plant is believed to have originated from the West Africa before spreading to other parts of the the world and different people uses the roselle (hibiscus sabdariffa) for different purposes.

Different countries call this plant by different names such as; rosela by Indonesians, sobolo by Ghananians, zoborodo by Nigerians, Telugu people call it Gongura, roselle is called belchanda in Nepal, 洛神花 (Luo Shen Hua) in Chinese, Chukor in Bengali, Pulicha Keerai in Tamil, krajiab priaw in Thailand, bissap in Senegalese, wonjo by Gambians, karkanji by Chads, foléré by Cameroonians, sorrel by the Caribbeans and quiabo-roxo by Brazilians.

The Hibiscus sabdariffa fruit takes approximately six months to mature and the fruits can be infused for medicinal purposes or prepared for drinks. Some studies reveal that the roselle fruit has a characteristics medicinal properties, which makes it viable for treating loss of appetite and fever. Due to its diuretic properties, rosells can also be used for treating kidney diseases. It's anti-hypertensive properties make this plant very ideal for reducing high blood pressure. Roselle drink is an excellent source of iron, riboflavin, flavonoid, vitamin C, niacin, calcium, glycosides, carotene and water-soluble antioxidants.

The zobo drink is very natural and contains more nutrients than those made with artificial ingredients and preservatives hence nutritionists recommend people to stick to natural drinks of which zobo drink is part of. Nutritionists reveal that taking at least a glass of zobo drink after eating food is capable of reducing the absorption of dietary carbohydrates thereby maintaining a healthy body weight.

Before preparing the sorrel drink, I usually peel the pineapple and slice it into tiny bits. Although some people use the pineapple peels during preparation but I have doubts if the peels will be thoroughly clean enough for use. The zobo drink is one of the easiest drink to prepare as all you need is to wash the zobo leaves, add in a cooking pot, add the peeled pineapples and garlic and the drink is just as good as ready. So I bet you will enjoy this drink if you give it a try.