by Khadija Garba | Oct 24, 2020 | Food & Kitchen
Yam has been a Nigerian food far back in the history of food and Nigeria itself. It has been a source of delicious meals, generation after generation. In addition, it is a tool of employment for its farmers and suppliers and an empowerment strategy for both genders across the food industry. It is a whole in which multiple varieties can be sourced. In this article, I will be sharing with you dishes you could make with yam.
Yams are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in many temperate and tropical regions, especially in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Oceania.
Yam is an edible tuber, and they are found primarily in Niger, Benue, Edo, Oyo, Taraba, Abia, and Sokoto states of Nigeria. In Nigeria, here are all the dishes you could make with yam.
Yam Recipes from Nigeria
1. White Yam
This is the second-easiest yam recipe for me. All one has to do is pill the yam, cut it into pieces, wash it, and boil it until it is soft. Why did I say it was easy? Because during the cooking, you don’t have to stand in front of the cooker dreading its burning; you just have to put in enough water. Then go about your other activities while checking on the pot from time to time.
White yam is mostly served for lunch, and it is enjoyed with stew, cabbage, onion, or egg sauce, and sometimes just oil and pepper. It depends on the mood and pocket of the eater.
2. Fried Yam
Fried yam is also one of the dishes you could make with yam. In most cases, this yam goes directly from cutting (slicing) and washing to being pushed into hot oil after sprinkling a little salt or maggi. Only a few people boil it before frying. Boiling usually makes it softer, even after being fried.
Fried yam is enjoyed as breakfast or dinner. It is preferably taken with pap, (kunu) or custard. In some cases, it is garnished with a little egg or onion sauce by the side of the plate. It is the easiest yam recipe for a few people.
Also, fried yam has been a source of livelihood for a lot of people. It is fried and sold to people side by side with Akara. I remember my secondary school days. We used to have women whose canteen consisted of this yam and akara. Then, we could eat something tangible during break periods for as little as 50 naira.
3. Golden Yam
Golden yam, laced yam, yam, and eggs are all names used to identify the recipe of yam dipped into eggs. It is a famous yam recipe within Northern Nigeria and Nigeria at large for different reasons:
First, it is a devotedly patronized recipe amongst the Nigerian Muslim communities during Ramadan for iftars.
Secondly, it is a variety that can be made out of leftovers. Throughout my life, each afternoon, we make white yam and it stays overnight. We preserve it, then wake up first thing in the morning to wash, slice, and fry eggs for breakfast.
Thirdly, it is an additional source of livelihood for a lot of people, especially men. In my life, I know some men who fry yam with eggs in the evening (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and they are making it. As a matter of fact, one already has it, not to mention restaurants with it on their menu.
Yam and egg are prepared by peeling off the skin of the yam. Instead of cutting into pieces, the yam is sliced into pieces, then washed and boiled. Note that the boiling doesn’t take time, like in the case of the white yam. After the boiling, it is sieved to drain out the water and cool it down a little.
Meanwhile, you break and beat your egg inside a bowl. Put a frying pan with oil on the fire. When it’s hot enough, you pick a slice of the yam and dip it inside the egg before throwing it into the oil for frying. Frying doesn’t take long; at least the egg around the yam crisps turns into something not desirable.
On an ordinary day, this yam recipe is a breakfast goal for most people.
4. Yam Porridge
Instead of just boiling in water, here it is chopped into medium-sized cubes, and the water is not crystal clear. It is a combination of onion, tomatoes, pepper, meat, palm oil, and maggi. In some cases, beans and spinach are added to the mix.
It is one of the afternoon dishes you could make with yam for lunch. As the name implies, this yam recipe comes out looking yummy.
5. Roasted Yam
This is the easiest dish you could make with yam. As roasting implies, locally, the whole tuber is placed atop a grill that has an open fire underneath. When it’s done, the yam is then sliced and peeled to be eaten with oil and pepper. It is a lunch menu.
Using today’s technology, however, it is sliced circularly before being soaked in salt water for some time. Then, it is placed in an oven and grilled at low heat. It is enjoyed with any sauce. This type of roasted yam recipe belongs to both the breakfast and lunch menus.
6. Pounded Yam
This is one of the dishes you could make with yam. Just like the name has a ring to it, the processing of this meal includes pounding. Yam is boiled to a serious level of softness, followed by a vigorous pounding session in the traditional pestle and mortar with as little water as possible. When it has been beaten into the desired finesse, it is molded into a medium ball-like shape and it is served with traditional soups like Egusi, Okro, bean soup, etc.
This process requires raw power, which is why women in this generation stay away from this yam recipe as much as possible. Though the machine has been invented for the pounding process, it is not popular among households. It should be noted that not every yam is a fine agent for this swallow. The specific types for a tasty swallow are the ones gotten from Niger State because of their powder-like capacity, not to mention the starchiness that is responsible for sticking.
It should be noted that this is one of the best dishes most men like. It is probably their best swallow.
7. Yam Balls
This is a yam recipe that is not funny to achieve at all. Why? This is because it has a lot of processes to go through before reaching perfection. First, the yam is boiled, then pounded inside a mixture of sauce (ground tomatoes, onion, and pepper with maggi fried in very little oil) while it is still hot. After the smoothening, it’s molded into small ball-like sizes. These ball-like, prepared yams are fried in oil after being dipped in a bowl of beaten egg. See! This is why I labeled it “the not easy recipe you could make with yam’.
Yam balls are an afternoon package that is sometimes used as snacks during events related to weddings.
8. Amala
Bakin (black) Amala just like pounded yam, is a swallow; it is a category of food taken with Nigerian soups such as Egusi, Okro, Ewedu, etc. This type of amala is made from the peels of yam. First, the sandy or brown part of the yam is stylishly scraped before the main peeling occurs. The peels are then washed and dried before being ground into powder. The ground powder is what is used to make this meal.
First, water is put on fire. When it boils, a handful of this powder is made into a paste and then poured into the boiling water. After a few minutes, another handful is fetched and added to the already boiling paste while being seriously turned with a spatula (“mucchiya in Hausa) into smoothness and desired thickness. Amala is ready for consumption. This is surely one of the dishes you could make with yam.
Conclusion
Yam is an important type of food in Nigerian societies, which is why it is enjoyed in different recipes. The above-mentioned are 8 dishes you could make with yam. A lot of festivals are centered around yam. It provides a healthy amount of potassium, metabolic B vitamins, fiber, etc. Not to mention, it is a good source of energy.
by Aeesha McOsei | Oct 9, 2020 | Health & Wellness
Labels on food products are one of the must-haves of packages or processed food. This is to ensure food safety giving the consumer more information on the food e.g. ingredients etc. In this article, I will be focusing on what you should do when your food exceeds its Best Before (BB) date.
Attached to every processed and packaged food item are two dates, the production date and the best before or expiry date. The production date does not cause any confusion but the other two dates do. People misinterpret the two dates leading to unnecessary waste of food.
What Is the Definition of These Dates and Why Are They Important?
Expiry Date
It is a less common cautionary date used in the food industry. It states the last day food is safe to eat. Any food beyond the expiry date should be tossed out immediately. Mostly written as EXP.
Best Before Date
It is the most commonly used cautionary date in the food industry. As the name implies, it states the date a food item is best to be consumed by. Foods that have passed their best before dates can be consumed on the condition that their appearance and odour are still agreeable. Bear in mind that this only applies to previously unopened food items. Mostly written as BB or Best Before.
Expiry dates denote food safety, while Best-before dates denote food quality.
Even though best before dates are beginning to sound like good news, it does not mean you have to keep food forever. That is why I’m here to tell you what you should do when your food exceeds its Best Before.
How Long Some Common Food Can Stay Even After the Best Before Date
1. Gala
First on my list for obvious reasons. With a best-before period of just a week after production, they’ve been turned down severally for being “expired” and unsafe to eat. On the contrary, they are still safe to eat. Maybe not at soft or fresh but they’ll still be fit to eat 3 – 4 days after their best-before date.
2. Soft Drinks
As a testimony, I once drank a chilled bottle of La Casera that was 3 months behind its best before date. It tasted the same and I didn’t suffer any complications.
A bottle of soft drink will still be fit to drink 3 months after the best before dates.
3. Canned Foods
Like sardines and Geisha, corned beef, sweet peas, and corns, etc. As long as the cans are not previously opened or pierced, they are still safe to consume as far as 3 months after their best before dates.
4. Jams and Other Condiments
According to Waste and Resources Action Programm (WRAP) in the UK, jams and the likes of it are still fit for consumption3 years after their best-before dates. Anyways, let us bench it lower at 6 months after the best-before date because we have village people.
Furthermore, WRAP cautions on ensuring that the seal on the jams has been firmly intact.
5. Biscuits and other snacks
These are also safe for consumption up to 3 months after their best-before dates.
With the intention to reduce food waste, please bear in mind that food safety is paramount. Ensure checking the labels on the food products to confirm it is the Best Before date and not Expiry date.
If the packaging is still intact and the appearance and odour are agreeable to common sense, only then should you consume food after their best-before dates.
Once again, under no circumstances should you consume any food past its Expiry date!
So here you go. I hope you now know what you should do when your food exceeds its Best Before. Tell me if you have any concerns in the comment box!
by Amina Lawal | Oct 6, 2020 | Who Is Who
The academic branch of Nothern Nigeria in 1933 organized a competition for educators who were interested in writing books in the Hausa language. Among the competitions were Abubakar Imam, who wrote the fabled Ruwan Bagaja and his brother Malam Bello Kagara. The competition was the first of its kind in the region, and it succeeded in bringing out some great erudition works in the North. Sadly enough, no woman took part in this competition.
Some 30 years later, in the 1970s, another writing competition was organized by the Nothern Nigerian Publishing Company (NNPC) in Zaria. This time around an 18-year-old teenager decided to enter. She entered a book she originally wrote in Hausa and only translated it to English when she heard of the competition. The book – So Aljannar Duniya (love is heaven on earth) – came second in the contest. The name of the author is Hafsat Abdul Waheed. She was the first female love novelist from Nothern Nigeria.
Who is Hafsat Abdulwaheed?
Hafsat Abdulwaheed was born on May 5, 1952 in Kofar Mata quaters, Kano. She did her primary education at Shahuci Primary School and secondary school at Provincial Girls School currently known as Shekara Girls Secondary School, both in Kano State.
Hafsat Abdulwaheed started writing when she was in primary school, where she wrote folk tales for which she received awards. By the time she has started attending school, she developed writing skills from the assignments she was given. She wrote her first published novel when she was in primary five. She has written more than 30 books, many of which have remained unpublished. Her famous book remains So Aljannar Duniya.
So Aljannar Duniya
The masterpiece—So Aljannar Duniya (love is heaven on earth)— came second in the contest. It was published in 1972 and republished in 1980. It became the first novel to be written by a female author in Nothern Nigeria. The theme of the book revolved around love and forced marriages, a subject that was considered taboo in society and was underrepresented in books written by male writers in the region. The book was inspired by the experiences of her elder sister who at that time married a Libyan and the cultural differences began to generate friction in the marriage.
The book has been translated into English, Arabic, and fulfude due to the demand. So Aljannar Duniya was later adopted by several schools and institutions as a study text in the curriculum.
Hafsat Abdulwaheed’s Other Books
Though “So Aljannar Duniya” was her was Hafsat’s first love novel, it was also her last. She wrote 6 more books exploring so many topics including two nonfiction, stories that teach morals and could be read to children, and one poetry book in English.
Some of Hafsat’s published books include;
Yar Dubu mai Tambosai (“Yardubu the Possessed” – fiction)
Nasiha ga Ma’aurata (Admonition for the Married Couple – non-fiction)
Namijin Maza Tauraron Annabawa (non-fiction on the life of Prophet Muhammad)
Tauraron Annaba (The Courageous Man: The seal of the Prophets)
She is now focused on writing Islamic books. Authors who have influenced her the most include; Abubakar Imam and Sai’du Ahmad Daura author of Tauraruwar Hamada.
Achivements
The emergence of the first female author from Nothern Nigeria, threading on uncharted territories changed the dynamics of writing in Nothern Nigeria. This led to the rise of popular female authors of the so-called Kano market literature popularised in the 1990s. It won’t be an exaggeration if it is said that she paved way for authors like Zainab Alkali, Bilkisu Ahmad Funtua, Talattu Wada Ahmad, Balaraba Ramat Yusuf, and others in the region.
Political Activities
Along, with being a writer she’s also a women’s rights activist and politician. She has an NGO which assists women from Nothern Nigeria in dealing with domestic violence. Her journey into politics was spurred by the lack of inclusion of females in Zamfara state’s cabinet. The Governor of Zamfara at that time felt no female was educated enough to be in his cabinet, which Hafsat felt was an insult because in her house alone all her daughters were very educated.
She decided to contest the gubernatorial elections herself. Even though she ended up being denied the ticket by her party based on cultural and religious reasons, her courage to challenge the incumbency resulted in more women being appointed to the cabinet subsequently.
Hafsat Abdulwaheed’s Family
Through her efforts to contribute to society were truncated, she got to achieve that through her children. This includes Kadaria Ahmad, a prolific journalist and Zainab Ahmad, the wife of the current Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai.
She had ten children, seven of whom are alive. She is happily married to her husband, Muhammed Ahmed Abdulwaheed, with whom she lives with in Zamfara state.
