Chapter 873 Green Light
The rough pottery jar was blackened by the flames, and the boiling water emitted a lot of steam, gushing out of the mouth of the jar.
Four cleaned weaverbirds were tumbling in the pale white boiling water, with scattered drops of oil floating above them and a few slices of bacon vaguely visible mixed in.
Bifang took out the stomach bag, took out the coagulated blood inside, skillfully cut it into small pieces with a dagger, and poured it into the jar.
Under the gentle action of the water flow, the blood clot quickly became hard and floated.
Opening a firm baobab fruit, Bifang took out the pulp and dripped the sour juice into the jar, while sprinkling in a handful of spices, mostly dried plant powders.
There were four roasted weaverbirds next to the campfire, whose skin had just begun to turn red. The Bifang, who had seasoned them, came over to turn them over so that they were heated more evenly, and at the same time brushed them with baobab fruit juice to give them a richer flavor.
A total of eight weaverbirds were caught during the day, half of which were stewed and half were roasted. They were all fresh, so they were more delicious to eat.
Bifang likes to eat fresh food with a unique flavor. If it were not for removing moisture and preserving the food, he would not smoke the remaining half of the antelope meat.
After doing all this, Bifang briefly left the camera, seemingly to get something.
[Look, I’m hungry]
[Why am I the host making dinner on the Wilderness Survival channel?]
[Luckily I just finished my meal, hehehe]
[Is this the power of a great god? He has nothing, but he still has no worries about food and clothing, and he even eats better than me]
[Today's lunch box only has two vegetarian dishes, I feel exhausted physically and mentally]
[A very big cat]
[I’ll let you go next time]
[It’s a pity that there is no salt. If there was salt, I think it would definitely taste good.]
[One more thing: I ate a fat-reducing meal last month, with less oil and less salt, and I felt uncomfortable all over. Every time I finished eating, I felt full, but it was as if I hadn’t eaten anything.]
"Who said there is no salt?" Bifang, who was briefly out of the camera, threw a large bundle of reeds on the ground and pointed at the large bundle of reeds scattered on the ground. "Here, isn't this it?"
Seeing the reeds on the ground, everyone slowly formed a question mark, not understanding what it meant.
As we have been busy all day today, collecting the spoils, the location of the camp has not changed. It is still next to the river where we first discovered it.
Since it is a river, there are naturally reeds. Especially in this kind of warm weather, reeds grow densely on the shore.
The camp is only a few hundred meters away from the river, which is neither too far nor too close. It can both avoid wild beasts that drink the water and make it convenient for getting water and living. Reeds, which are worthless things, can be brought back in a large bundle in half an hour.
However, the audience previously thought that Bifang brought back so many reeds to spread on the ground as a mattress so that he could sleep more comfortably at night.
Now it seems that this is not the case?
[Could it be possible to extract salt from this? ]
[Can salt be extracted from reeds? ]
[Isn’t it? ]
[Wood ash and salt, didn't Master Fang do it once before? Don't you remember? ]
[Oh, I remember now, wood ash salt, then why do you need to use reeds? Can't ordinary ash be used? ]
"It's really not very good." Bifang smiled, took out a torch from the fire pit, lit the whole piece of reed and burned it. "The salt extracted from wood ash is potassium salt. If the method is appropriate, it can be eaten, but it is only effective for a short time and cannot replenish electrolytes in the body for a long time."
"When we eat salt, we are essentially eating sodium salt. We need to replenish the sodium ions in our bodies, not just eat it for the salty taste."
Sodium plays a huge role in the human body. It can promote the body's metabolism and can also act as an electrolyte to maintain the stability and balance of water inside cells.
Sodium is also involved in the human body's muscle contraction, nervous system movement, absorption of carbohydrates and other physiological phenomena.
Therefore, the human body must maintain sufficient sodium levels to achieve health and balance.
"Those who have studied high school biology should know that humans have sodium ion channels and potassium ion channels. The two seem to be similar, but sodium ions have a smaller radius and are more tightly hydrated, so it is not easy to shed their hydrated outer layer."
"Also, due to its small diameter, it cannot bind well to the side chain, so sodium ions cannot pass through the potassium channel. The two roles are irreplaceable."
The dry reeds were flammable and caught fire as soon as they came into contact with the torch.
The darkness was illuminated even brighter.
The large bundles of reeds quickly turned into ashes under the burning flames.
"That is to say, potassium salt itself only makes food more delicious and cannot be used for a long time. However, reeds can help us achieve the desired effect in one step. They not only provide the required sodium ions but also ensure that the saltiness is sufficient. This salt is called reed salt. Is it a specialty of Kenya?"
Reed salt?
specialty?
[There are more things I haven’t heard of]
[This thing will also become ash , what’s the difference?]
[I can’t figure it out, I can’t figure it out]
[Can salt also be considered a specialty? 】
"Don't worry, you will know in a moment."
"We eat meat every day, but our bodies are not lacking in sodium. This is mainly to provide everyone with a different way of thinking and to satisfy my own appetite. Without salt, my mouth tastes bland."
The salt in meat is enough for survival. Theoretically, as long as you can catch prey, you don’t have to consider getting salt specifically to survive in the wilderness.
But as Bifang himself said, his mouth was so dry that he could not even taste the bird.
It's adequate, but not comfortable to use.
So we need to make salt.
Since we are making salt, we naturally have to do our best, otherwise Bifang would have made salt with ordinary wood ash a few days ago.
Bifang used a stick to pull the reeds to allow them to fully contact with the air and speed up the burning speed, while continuing to add reeds into it.
Obviously, the bundle just now was not enough.
"Kenya is one of the big countries in Africa, with a vast territory and rich resources. Using reeds to process salt is an ancient and common method of making salt among the people."
Bifang explained the method of making salt.
Whenever the season of scarce rain comes, local salt makers will select a riverbed rich in reeds in advance. Once the reeds grow to more than one meter, they will organize the whole family to harvest them.
The cut reed stalks are stacked on large natural rocks, and the scorching sun will take away the moisture in the reeds within three to four days.
The next step is to build a fire and burn the reeds, collecting the remaining ashes.
Salt makers add water to the ashes and filter them repeatedly through a fine mesh until most of the impurities are separated. The remaining yellow-brown "brine" is then poured into a pot and heated.
"After boiling for many times, a layer of yellow-brown salt will be left at the bottom of the pot. This is the legendary 'reed salt'."
"Usually this process takes several days. The smoky working environment is very torturous, and the harvest is not much. Moreover, because the production process is very primitive, the salt obtained is not pure and has a lot of impurities. Hundreds of kilograms of reeds can often only produce a small bag of reed salt."
"As for the taste, locals say it is delicious and has a special aroma."
“As for why you can make salt from reeds, it’s actually due to the soil structure in Kenya.”
The reeds burned very quickly, and soon the whole bundle was burned out, leaving only a pile of black ash.
While there was still a small flame, Bifang threw out the second bundle.
"There is almost no arable land in Kenya. Most of the soil here is saline-alkali. Once there is insufficient rainfall, the salt content in plants such as reeds will soar to the level of salt production."
"The locals use this geographical and climatic condition to make salt to support their families."
"The price of reed salt is quite shocking. The processed reed salt will be wrapped in leaves and sold. A small bag of about 200 grams can usually be sold for about 130 yuan. In other words, a meal may cost more than 1 yuan of reed salt, which is still quite expensive."
Table salt in normal supermarkets usually costs only two dollars a bag. Even high-end salt with other ingredients is only five to ten dollars, and it is a very thick bag. Compared with these salts, reed salt can be said to be ridiculously expensive.
[Fuck, it really is a specialty]
[So this trick can't be used on all reeds, right? ]
【Lao Fang really knows a lot】
[I looked at the map the other day. Isn't Kenya close to the sea? Why not just use sea salt?]
"That's right. Only reeds grown on saline-alkali land can be treated with this method. For reeds grown elsewhere, the efficiency of refining is too low. It's not worth it at all."
"As for why we don't use sea salt even though we're near the sea, it's a bit complicated to explain. To put it simply, sea salt is more expensive!"
The second bundle of reeds also burned out. Bifang collected all the black ashes, poured them into another small pottery jar, added water and boiled them, and began to extract the salt.
At the same time, some of the reasons are also explained to the audience.
The most fundamental reason is that the salt production rights in Kenya are not in the hands of the government itself!
From a very early time, Kenya was an African country colonized by the Central Powers for a very long time, which left an indelible .
Even today, there are still a large number of Kenyans who express their grief over the death of Queen Elizabeth II and call themselves "subjects."
Also because of the all-round intervention during the colonial period, many capital interest groups in Kenya have been infiltrated by Chinese people, including the salt factory.
A look at history will show you how serious the consequences would be if the production and processing of salt were not controlled by the government.
Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China, selling contraband salt meant death.
The purpose is very simple, that is, salt is an absolute necessity among the commodities traded by ordinary people!
Controlling salt is a disguised way of controlling the economy and regulating market stability.
The importance of this is self-evident.
"In 2018, Kenya required salt production companies to pay a 'seawater usage fee' to the Water Resources Authority, amounting to 2 billion shillings per year."
"As a result, there was strong opposition from the salt-producing companies, who believed that the government had no right to charge for seawater. However, Kenya disagreed, so the price of salt soared more than ten times, and finally reached a point where no one could afford it."
[Good Guy]
[This is too miserable]
[Is this something you can say? (Funny)]
The Third World is like this
The water in the pot boiled very quickly. This pit was different and contained more firewood. Otherwise, Bifang was worried that his weaver birds would be burnt and the salt would not be made.
At this time, there was only a layer of yellow water that looked quite thick in the pottery jar. Bifang stretched out his little finger, dipped it, and put it in his mouth.
"The saltiness is very strong, but we still need to filter it out."
It is another similar process. This time, yellow crystals can be seen on the wall of the pot.
Bifang didn't mind and scraped it off directly, put it in the ceramic pot for stewing meat, and sprinkled it on the roasted weaverbird.
"The timing was not well controlled. The salt should have been removed before roasting. But it doesn't matter. We can eat it first. Although it is not filtered clean, it is not poisonous in itself."
With salt, food truly has soul.
The roasted weaverbird turned from its original red color to dark red, and its exposed claws turned slightly black. It became extremely crispy when bitten into the mouth.
tasty!
With the infiltration of oil, the whole roasted weaverbird becomes extremely crispy and fragrant. You can eat it with both the bones and the meat. The salty taste is mixed with a hint of sourness, which is very appetizing.
[Ah, I’m starving. I’m starving.]
[I'm drooling]
[It's decided! We'll have roasted pigeon tomorrow! ]
He took out two and placed them in the pot of baobab fruit. After letting them cool down a little, Bifang handed them to Harley who was standing by and was impatient.
The food for the past few days contained spices and salt. As a cheetah, he was already impatient. He opened his mouth and took a big bite, eating it all up including the skin and meat.
The clay pot for stewing meat was also brought out, it smelled fragrant, and the weaverbird inside had become tender and rotten, the skin and meat separated easily with one bite.
The bacon has a unique flavor, and the blood clots are fragile and tender, both of which are extremely delicious.
Harley, who had just finished devouring two roasted weaverbirds, ran over and stuck his head into the pot. Before Bifang could drive him away, he was scalded by the steam and jumped up and down.
Bifang laughed loudly, but was not stingy.
Again, two for myself and two for Harley.
There were eight in total, one baobab and half for each person, plus some bacon. We ate until we were sweating profusely, and afterward we could use the baobab fruit ladle to scoop up soup, which was a rare enjoyment.
At this time, the second round of reed salt precipitation was completed, Bifang started the third round, and then lay on the ground to digest the food.
Having finally eaten delicious food, Bifang is now full of energy and his face is glowing.
Another beautiful night.
Bifang took a rest contentedly. When the third round of water was about to boil dry and he stood up to filter it, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.
But when I looked around, nothing happened.
The boiling salt water is poured into another jar, with a lot of steam coming out during the pouring process.
Harley lay down by the fire pit and played with Jerry with his head on his.
The wood in the fire pit crackled and the flames rose, but other than that the environment became unusually quiet and as eerie as ever.
The dark shadows swayed and lengthened in the orange light.
Bifang lowered his head and continued to add water and stew as if nothing had happened.
In the dark night, several pairs of eyes with green light flashed by.
