This week’s dish is very popular in west and sub-sahran Africa and is something I don’t like very much actually, yes it’s Fufu! It originated and is eaten very widely in my country of origin, Ghana and many other surrounding African nations. Fufu is originally from the Ghanaian Asante ethnic group. Settlers and migrants from India, Togo and Ivory Coast discovered it and modified it in their accord. The name 'fufu' has two possible derivations, both deriving from words in the Asante language (Asante Twi): the word for 'white', fufuoop (silent p), as is the colour of the food, or the word for 'pounding', fu-fu; the process used to produce it.
In Ghana, fufu is eaten with light (tomato) soup, palm nut soup, groundnut (peanut) soup or other types of soups with vegetables such as nkontomire (cocoyam leaves). Soups are often made with different kinds of meat and fish, fresh or smoked. The diner pinches off a small ball of fufu and makes an indentation with the thumb. This reservoir is then filled with soup, and the ball is eaten. In Ghana the ball is often not chewed but swallowed whole. In fact, chewing fufu is a faux pas.
In Western Africa, fufu is usually made from cassava, yams, and sometimes combined with cocoyam, plantains, or maize. In Central Africa, fufu is often made from cassava, as is the Liberian dumboy. Fufu can also be made from semolina, rice, or even instant potato flakes. Often, the dish is still made by traditional methods: pounding and beating the base substance in a mortar with a wooden spoon. In contexts where poverty is not an issue, or where modern appliances are readily available, a food processor may also be used.
Fufu is a dish that gives many people satisfaction all over Africa but unfortunately I have to say I am not one of them!
Ben