Amala (food)

Amala as served in a Nigerian restaurant in London

Àmàlà is a Nigerian food made out of yam and/or cassava flour.[1] Yams are peeled, sliced, cleaned, dried and then blended into a flour, also called elubo. Yams are white in colour but turn brown when dried; this gives àmàlà its colour.[2][3] Àmàlà is from Western Africa and eaten mostly by the Yoruba people in Nigeria.[4] It could be served with a variety of ọbẹ (soups), such as ẹfọ, ilá, ewédú, ogbono or gbegiri (black-eyed beans soup).

Types

There are two types of àmàlà: àmàlà isu and àmàlà láfún.

Yam flour (àmàlà isu)

This is the most common type of àmàlà which is derived from yam. The particular yam specie best for preparing àmàlà is Dioscorea cayenensis because of it's high starch content. Yam, the common name for species in the genus Dioscorea, grows in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Latin America, but 95% of it is cultivated and harvested in West Africa. Yam can be barbecued, roasted, fried, grilled, boiled, smoked, and grated. Àmàlà isu is made of dried yam; this gives it a black/brownish colour when added to boiling water. Amala is high in carbohydrates and packs a lot of calories.

Cassava flour (àmàlà láfún)

The second type is àmàlà láfún, made from cassava flour. Cassava is a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family. Cassava and yam are the most important source of food carbohydrate in Nigeria; Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava. Cassava flour when used as a dry powder makes àmàlà láfún. Fermented and flaky, it is called Garri, another common dish, most often eaten by the Ijebu people.

Plantain flour (Amala ogede)

Another type of Amala is elubo ogede (which is usually lighter in color). The low carbohydrate level in plantain flour makes it a good food for diabetics and others who need a low-carbohydrate food. Unripe plantain is peeled, dried, and grated into boiling water to become amala ogede, light brown in colour when cooked.

Preparation

The only ingredient needed when making àmàlà is boiling water and one of the types of flour. Once the water has come to a boil, the heat is reduced. The flour is added and stirred until all the water is absorbed. More hot water is added, then the dough is left to simmer for approximately five minutes.[5] Then the dough is kneaded until it has the desired texture. Kneading the dough into a smooth paste is the most difficult part of making àmàlà.

Dishes

Àmàlà can be eaten with various soups:

  • Egusi: soup made of thickened melon seeds and leaf vegetables
  • Ewedu soup: made from cooked and grated Corchorus leaves with or without a small quantity of egusi and/or locust beans.
  • Okro soup: made from okra
  • Efo riro: made from vegetables and a mixture of meat, fish, etc.[6]
  • Ogbono soup: made from ground ogbono seeds and a mixture of stock fish and locust beans added as garnish
  • Gbegiri soup, made from dried beans

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ferris, R. S. B.; Uwaegbute A. C.; Osho S. M.; Obatolu V. A. (1995). "Acceptability and chemical evaluation of fortified yam (Discorea spp.) products". Postharvest technology and commodity marketing: proceedings of a postharvest conference 2 Nov. to 1 Dec. 1995. Accra, Ghana: 172. ISBN 978-978-131-111-6.
  2. ↑ Balogh, Esther (1989). "History and perspectives of stable foods in Africa". Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery. p. 51.
  3. ↑ Dumont, Roland (2006). Biodiversity and Domestication of Yams in West Africa: Traditional Practices Leading to Dioscorea Rotundata Poir. Editions Quae. p. 28.
  4. ↑ Roots, Tubers, Plantains and Bananas in Human Nutrition. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1990. p. 68.
  5. ↑ Badiru, I. & Badiru, D. (2013). Isi Cookbook: Collection of Easy Nigerian Recipes. Bloomington: iUniverse. p. 23.
  6. ↑ Rees, D.; Farell, G. & Orchard, J. (2012). Crop Post-Harvest: Science and Technology, Perishables. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. p. 408.
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