There are areas in western Kenya which have long ago been cut off from the main salt routes, so the locals developed a method of extracting salt from aquatic plants. The production of reed salt is, however, quite limited because it is a demanding and time-consuming process.
Nowadays, only the Bukusu community in the district of Webuye continues to produce salt using traditional methods. The muchua plant (a variety of thin reed) grows in the River Nzoia from September to March. When it grows up to 2 meters, it can be harvested - the flowers wilt and the highest leaves are nearly dried out.
Before this, the concentration of salt is just too low to harvest. Numerous reeds are first dried on the stones by the river, and are then heated over a fire for up to 3 days. The ash remnants are combined with hot water, filtered, then boiled in a huge pan.
After the liquids evaporate, what remains is a pure salty mixture on the bottom. It is collected, placed into banana leaves, then dried overnight under hot ashes. In some cases, pepper is added to the salt, giving it a spicy flavor.
