Story by Najmin Isa, Summer 2021
Growing up I remember my mom making a custard like drink called Kunu, made with millet flour, lime, and hot water, during the month of Ramadan. The sweet hint of lime would fill the house as the sun began to set and we were about to break our fast. As we sat around the food on our parlor floor, Kunu was one of the first things I would reach for. My favorite is when my mom makes it ever so slightly spicy by adding dried peppers to the blended powder. The mix between spicy, sweet, and sour really wakes your stomach up after a long day of fasting. The taste always reminded me of a ginger shot as the thick drink passes through your throat.
Traditionally, this millet drink was a popular breakfast food across the northern part of Nigeria, but as time went on a lot of people started making Kunu only once in a while. This shift was mainly attributed to the lack of convenience of making the drink each morning. I have made several attempts to make Kunu on my own by following all the steps: grinding up the millet and sifting it to attain a fine powder, then adding a little bit of water and lime to create a batter. And lastly, hot water and sugar is added which makes the drink nice and thick. But I always end up with a consistency that is watery and just lacks that thick richness. If we already have the powdered millet at home, it takes me about an hour or so to make, but if we don’t, which is usually the case, I have to follow the steps from scratch which takes me close to 3 hours which is probably longer than the time it takes most people. The process can be daunting, even though the steps seem relatively simple, and now that people have access to foods that are a lot more convenient to prepare, they are making Kunu less than they used to. In the past, women dedicated a lot of their time during the day to just cooking, but now women don’t just stay at home, they have busy lives outside of the house so going through such a process in the morning is not feasible.
This plant, millet, has been frequently used in my culture. There are different types of millets that are grown around the world, and the type that is most commonly used in my family and culture is called pearl millet. It is a little darker than some of the other types and is a nutritious grain with excellent protein levels.
Now most families make the millet drink once in a while. Every year during Ramadan, my family makes a lot of food each day to give out to the community. This form of giving is what we call sadaqa in Hausa. And a staple food that we make to give out each year without fail is Kunu. I can’t remember a Ramadan that has passed by without having the millet drink, and at this point it has become somewhat of a comfort food for me. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to have my family and give back to the community. And this isn’t something that only my parents started doing, the tradition dates back many generations, so the millet grain has a special place in my heart both traditionally and personally.