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InWest Africa,garri (/ˈɡæri/ ⓘ; also known asgari,galli, orgali) is a flour made from fresh, starchycassava root.
In theHausa language,garri can also refer to flours made from other crops, such asguinea corn, maize, rice, yam, plantain and millet.[1] For example,garin dawa is made fromguinea corn,garin masara andgarin alkama originate frommaize and wheat respectively, whilegarin magani is a powdered medicine.
Flours made from starchy crops and mixed with cold or hot water form a staple part of the diet inNigeria,Benin,Togo,Ghana,Guinea,Cameroon andLiberia.[2]
Cassava, the root used to make garri, is rich in fiber, copper and magnesium.[3]
Garri is similar to farinha de mandioca from Brazil, which is used in many food preparations, includingfarofa, particularly in theNordeste region.
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To makegarri flour,cassava tubers are uprooted, peeled, washed and grated or crushed to produce a mash. The mash can be mixed with palm oil and placed in a porous bag, which is then put under an adjustable press machine or iron presser for 1–24 hours to remove excess water. Once dried, it issieved andfried in a large stainless steel frying pot or in a large aluminum frying tray, with or without palm oil. The resulting dry, granular garri can be stored for long periods. It may also be pounded or ground to make a fine flour.[4]Garri comes in various consistencies, including rough, medium and smooth, which are used to prepare different foods.
Eba is a stiff dough made by soakinggarri in hot water and kneading it with a wooden baton until it becomes a smooth doughy staple. It is served as part of a meal with soups and sauces. Some of these include okra soup,egusi soup,vegetable soup,afang soup,banga soup andbitter leaf soup. Similar starchy doughs are found as staples in other African cuisines.
Kokoro is a Nigerian snack food common in southern and southeast Nigeria, especiallyAbia State,Rivers State,Anambra State,Enugu State andImo State. It is made from a paste ofmaize flour, mixed withgarri and sugar and deep-fried.
As asnack, cereal, or light meal,garri can be soaked in cold water (in which case it settles to the bottom), mixed withsugar orhoney, and sometimes roastedpeanuts and/orevaporated milk, also known as Soaking Garri. The amount of water needed for soakedgarri is 3:1.Garri can also be eaten dry with sugar and roasted peanut. Other ingredients include coconut chunks,tiger nut milk, and cashews.
InLiberia,garri is used to make a dessert calledkanyan which is combined with peanuts and honey.
In its dry form,garri is used as an accompaniment for soft cookedbeans and palm oil. This food mix is calledyoo ke garri, orgarri-fɔtɔ/galli-fɔtɔ (crushed garri) in theGa language ofGhana and theGen dialect of southernTogo andBenin. This type of garri is a mixture of moistened garri kneaded with a thickened tomato paste, oil, salt, seasonings. Yoo ke garri is garri with beans, which is typically eaten as lunch.[4] It is also eaten with bean cake (Akara) in Nigeria.
Smoothgarri (known aslebu to theYoruba) can be mixed with pepper and other spicy ingredients. A small amount of warm water andpalm oil is added and softened by hand. This type ofgarri is served with fried fish. It is served withfrejon onGood Friday.
In Nigeria, the Efik people use drygarri to thicken light soups like egg soup and white soup (also known as up and down soup)
InWest Africa, two types of garri include white and yellow garri. Yellowgarri is prepared by adding palm oil just before the fermenting stage of the cassava mash.[5] Alternatively, it can be made using the yellow-fleshed breed of cassava. White garri on the other hand is fried without palm oil.
Variations of yellow and whitegarri are common across Nigeria and Cameroon. One variation of whitegarri is popularly known asgarri-Ijebu. This is produced mainly by theYoruba people ofIjebu in Nigeria.
InGhana,garri is classified by taste and grain size. The sweeter types with finer grains are more valued over sourer, large grain varieties. Commercial food vendors prefer coarser grains with high starch content, as this produces a greater yield when soaked in water.
Buyers often look out for crisper grains when trying to determine freshness.
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