Vance's DariFree - From Here to Lagos

Although I've had it listed in my Product Clearinghouse for many years, I've never mentioned Vance's DariFree here in the Planet Lactose blog.

DariFree is a powder made without dairy or soy or rice or any of the more commonly found milk alternatives. Instead it's based on maltodextrin, a polysaccharide or long-chained sugar, that is derived from potato starch. This makes it unusually allergen-free.

DariFree™ is not only Fat-free and Cholesterol-free, it is also free of Gluten, Casein, Soy, Rice and contains no MSG.

DariFree™ is available in 19.5 oz. cans (6 quarts) and economical 25 lb. boxes (115 quarts). If you can not find DariFree™ at your favorite health or specialty food store, you can ask them to order it, or you can search for a store near you at our Retail Store Locator. You may also purchase DariFree™ from our Online Store.

DariFree™ is in powder form and ideal for pantry storage. Simply mix with water and enjoy. Once mixed, DariFree™ remains fresh at least a week with refrigeration. We recommend using our unique mixer/server/pitcher when preparing DariFree™. You can purchase the mixer/server/pitcher from our Online Store.

Vance's also has a large number of International Distributors around the world since they can only ship to customers in the United States and Puerto Rico.

And that's how DariFree came back into my consciousness, through this article from Yemisi Ogbe of Lagos on 234next.com.

How do I know that this was a good year for Obudu Delight? Because this year, I gained a new food obsession; homemade Guinea corn gruel also known as Oka Baba or very commonly and plainly called Ogi, served with unrestrained lashings of Obudu delight. Ogi is never ever referred to at our house as "pap" because frankly, the word sounds disgusting.

OK, I'll admit I didn't understand a word of that paragraph. It doesn't even help when the author explains that "Obudu Delight by the way, is the name of the honey produced in deep cloud layers in Obudu cattle ranch." Honey produced in deep cloud layers?

Anyway, here's where DariFree comes in:

My Ogi is not only served with Obudu honey, but also a generous sprinkling of some strange milk substitute called Darifree. Darifree is only probably familiar to the lactose intolerant. And I call it strange because it is almost like an illusion...this free, that free...It is allegedly free of everything bad for the sensitive constitution yet tastes quite good.

And it can be purchased at Okoli supermarket in Dolphin Estate.

Who says we're not all connected on Planet Lactose?