What Is Amasi? The South African Fermented Milk Explained
Amasi is a traditional South African fermented sour milk, thick and tangy. Here is what it is and where to buy it.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Amasi is a traditional South African fermented milk, thick, creamy and tangy, made by allowing raw or whole milk to ferment and sour naturally until it thickens. Similar to a drinkable yoghurt or thick sour milk, it has a refreshing, sharp, slightly cheesy taste and a smooth, thick texture. Deeply rooted in South African, and especially Zulu and Xhosa, culture, amasi is both drunk on its own and eaten with staples like pap or porridge. It is also known by names such as maas. Nourishing and much loved, it is a comforting everyday food. In the UK amasi, or maas, is sold by South African and African food shops.
What to remember
- Amasi is a traditional South African fermented milk, thick, creamy and tangy.
- It is made by letting milk ferment and sour naturally until it thickens.
- It tastes refreshing, sharp and slightly cheesy, like a thick drinkable yoghurt.
- It is drunk on its own and eaten with staples like pap or porridge.
- Amasi, also called maas, is sold by South African and African food shops in the UK.
For South Africans in Britain, especially Zulu and Xhosa families, amasi is a deep taste of home. It is the thick, tangy sour milk poured over pap, the refreshing drink from the calabash, the flavour that says home and grandmother and heritage, the nourishing food of countless childhoods. Eating amasi with pap far from home brings back family kitchens and the comforting, tangy taste of a traditional meal, the warmth of home in every thick, cooling spoonful.
There is real culture in it too, in a food so tied to Zulu and Xhosa tradition and to home, hospitality and heritage. It reflects a long tradition of fermented, nourishing food and of sharing simple, comforting meals, and to make or share amasi is to keep that culture alive. Serving amasi and pap to family who grew up on it, or introducing a friend to the tangy sour milk, is an act of welcome and home. That tangy, comforting taste of home is the quiet gift of amasi.
What Amasi Actually Is
Amasi is one of South Africa's most treasured traditional foods, a fermented milk with deep cultural roots. It is made by allowing milk to ferment and sour naturally, traditionally in a container such as a calabash or hide sack, until it thickens into a smooth, creamy, tangy product, with the watery whey sometimes separated off. The result is thick, a little like a drinkable yoghurt or a soft, set sour milk, with a refreshing, sharp, slightly cheesy or buttermilk-like taste. It is both a drink and a food, depending on how it is eaten.
Amasi is deeply woven into South African culture, especially among the Zulu and Xhosa peoples, where it has long been a valued everyday food, and it holds cultural significance beyond simple nourishment. It is known by several names across the region, including maas in Afrikaans. Nourishing, comforting and traditional, amasi is a beloved part of South African eating. It belongs to the world of South African food and drink we cover in our guide to South African food, a traditional counterpart to staples like pap and sadza.
How Amasi Is Made and Its Culture
Understanding amasi means understanding both how it is made and its place in culture. Traditionally, amasi is made by leaving raw milk to ferment naturally, often in a calabash gourd or a special container, where wild cultures sour and thicken it over a day or more, and the whey is drained so the thick, tangy curd remains. Today it is also produced commercially in a controlled way, giving a consistent product, but the essence, naturally soured, thickened milk, is the same. The fermentation gives amasi its characteristic tang and thick texture.
Amasi carries real cultural meaning in South Africa, particularly in Zulu and Xhosa tradition, where it has been a staple and a valued food for generations, tied to home, hospitality and heritage. It is one of those foods that says home to many South Africans. As a fermented dairy food, it is also traditionally regarded as wholesome and nourishing, and this article is general food and cultural information rather than medical or dietary advice; anyone with dietary questions should speak to a professional. What is clear is that amasi is cherished, both as a food and as a piece of culture.
How Amasi Is Enjoyed
Amasi is enjoyed in a few beloved ways. It is drunk on its own, poured from a container and sipped as a refreshing, tangy drink, thick enough to be satisfying and cooling, especially welcome in warm weather. It is also very commonly eaten with staples, most classically with pap, the maize porridge, where thick amasi is poured over or mixed into the pap to make a simple, comforting, nourishing meal, the tangy amasi balancing the mild maize beautifully. This pairing of amasi and pap is a cherished everyday combination.
It is also eaten with other porridges, with bread, or used in cooking and baking, adding its tang much as buttermilk or yoghurt would. Amasi is a food of home and everyday comfort, loved across generations and enjoyed at any time of day. Its refreshing tang and thick, creamy texture make it distinctive and satisfying. For anyone exploring South African food, amasi, especially with pap, is a wonderful, authentic taste of the country's traditional eating, simple, nourishing and deeply comforting.
Where to Buy Amasi in the UK
Buying amasi in Britain is possible through South African and African food shops, which stock it for the community, and it may be sold under names like amasi or maas. Because it is a fermented dairy product, it is found chilled, and shops that carry South African foods often stock it. Some larger world foods sections may have it too, and a thick, plain drinking yoghurt or soured milk can be a rough stand-in if amasi itself is not to hand, though it is not quite the same.
If you want to try amasi, a South African or African food shop is the best place to look, and staff can point you to it and suggest eating it with pap. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, some of which stock South African products including amasi. Poured over pap or sipped on its own, chilled, amasi is a traditional, tangy, comforting taste of South Africa.
Frequently asked questions
What is amasi?
Amasi is a traditional South African fermented milk, thick, creamy and tangy, made by allowing milk to ferment and sour naturally until it thickens. Similar to a thick drinkable yoghurt or sour milk, it has a refreshing, sharp, slightly cheesy taste. Deeply rooted in South African, especially Zulu and Xhosa, culture, it is both drunk on its own and eaten with staples like pap. It is also known as maas.
How is amasi made?
Traditionally, amasi is made by leaving raw milk to ferment naturally, often in a calabash gourd or special container, where wild cultures sour and thicken it over a day or more, with the watery whey drained off so the thick, tangy curd remains. Today it is also made commercially in a controlled way, but the essence, naturally soured, thickened milk, is the same.
What is the difference between amasi and maas?
Amasi and maas are essentially the same thing, traditional South African fermented sour milk, known by different names. Amasi is the name used in Zulu, Xhosa and other African languages, while maas is the Afrikaans name. Both refer to the thick, tangy, naturally soured milk that is a treasured part of South African food culture.
How do you eat amasi?
Amasi is drunk on its own as a thick, tangy, refreshing drink, and it is very commonly eaten with staples, most classically poured over or mixed into pap, the maize porridge, to make a comforting, nourishing meal. It is also eaten with other porridges or bread and used in cooking and baking, adding tang much like buttermilk or yoghurt.
Where can I buy amasi in the UK?
Amasi, also sold as maas, is found chilled at South African and African food shops that carry South African foods, and possibly some larger world foods sections. A South African or African food shop is the best place to look, and staff can point you to it. A thick plain drinking yoghurt or soured milk can be a rough stand-in, though not quite the same. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you.
