A masterclass on preparing kombucha, the wonder drink that is believed to improve gut health, was given to a batch of homemakers at the 43rd Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). The festival has been conducting cookery workshops and shows that have attracted men, women and children.
Kombucha is a fermented drink originating from China which is believed to improve gut health and is enjoyed for its unique flavour, explained Lebanese entrepreneur Maher El Tabchy, who founded Tabchilli in Dubai to promote his passion for fermented foods.
The preparation began with taking the kombucha scoby, an active ingredient in the fermentation that contains bacteria and yeast, in a bowl. The scoby, which resembles a round rubbery bread, has to be added to the tea. To prepare the tea, 30 grams of black tea was added to a jar of warm water followed by 50 gm of white sugar. This is mixed well before the scoby is added to the jar; hot water will kill the scoby, Maher warns. Two tea bags are steeped for 7 minutes before normal temperature water is added into the jar.
For the fermentation, the lid of the jar can be replaced with cotton cloth porous enough to make fermentation work. It can be put in the sun too, Maher notes. The kombucha is ready to drink after 10 days, and it should always be stored at room temperature, he adds. If it develops mould it has to be thrown away, he advises.
According to Maher, he set up the business in order to bring back gut health through fermented foods in an age when pasteurised food is the norm. Though available in supermarkets, Maher’s workshops are meant to help people to prepare it at home with tea, sugar and scoby. It is an alternative to soda, good for motivation as well as the gut, Maher concluded.
SIBF 2024, which will run until November 17, has opened its doors to over 2,520 publishers from 112 countries, and is celebrating Morocco as the Guest of Honour. The 12-day cultural extravaganza, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, is themed ‘It Starts with a Book’, and has in store 1,357 activities for children and adults alike.