Different Ways To Eat Garri And Enjoy It

In Nigeria and other countries, a lot of people eat garri. It’s the staple food for many families and is a convenient way to get some carbs and protein. It is easily available in most shops, can be made cheaply, and has a long shelf life.

Want to learn about Storytelling Skills and Content Creation Strategy? Then, Join our Content Academy.

Sometimes, ago a friend of mine called. We dived into our chitchat mode and our discussion was centered on the new African staple she tried out. In the middle of our conversation, she mentioned her friend whom she hung out with downed a Garri. “The chef called it a garri. What is that? Is it sweet?” She asked.

I let out a chuckle and cleared her with a “yes, garri is an incredibly mouthwatering dish.”

After our intense broaching, I drew to an obvious conclusion that I will write something about this for those who might not know the different ways to eat garri.

Are you like my friend who has heard of the food called garri and you are probably wondering what it is? Don’t worry, I will walk you through what it all is, and after you’d want to have a taste of this dish.

What Is Garri?

Garri is a popular stable consumed mostly in west Africa but in different ways. It’s among the root tuber crops grown in different parts of Nigeria, Ghana, Togo to outline a few. As I already mentioned, garri is consumed in different ways like soaked garri, Eba which is paired with different mouthwatering soup, kpomo rich egusi, ogbono soup or even vegetable soup.

In Nigeria as a whole garri is a constant stable found in different homes because of its flexibility.

Garri is gotten from a granulated cassava that has undergone various production processes such as harvesting the cassava itself, peeling off the mud backs, fermenting, and stacking in a sack bag for a maximum of four days (the reason is to clench the moisture off it), sieving and roasting (which happens to be the final stage of the processing).

Consequent to the bone-breaking phase people pass through while trying to filter the cassava into something edible most people shy away from it, making garri one of the hardest staples to be processed.

In spite of all the said daunting processes of molding garri into fine grain, it’s one of the cheapest staples in Nigeria.

A number of times, some people regard it as a poor man’s food but the truth is, garri satisfies both poor and rich people.

Some say that Cassava was introduced to West Africa from Brazil by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. Some other sources say the mass return of enslaved Africans from the New World (America) led to the introduction of this wonderful staple in West Africa. That cassava itself was gotten in parts of the New World but the repatriated Africans who returned with the crops introduced the indigenes to how to process Cassava into various types of staples.

For the record, garri is not the only food derived from Cassava, Fufu is equally gotten from the crop.

Since its introduction till now, garri has become every Nigerian home’s companion.

Types Of Garri

There are different types of garri that are processed according to preferences and tastes. Each region in Nigeria for example has a special way they enjoy their garri. The color and taste vary but the bottom line is that the end product of all the processes will be garri, if the person actually wants it.

Now, here are the most popular types of garri you will easily come across in the market.

Yellow garri

The name is coined from the garri which is yellow. During the process of making this particular type of garri, a particular amount of palm oil will be drizzled into the garri while stirring and roasting the fine grains on fire.

With time and unrelentless stirring of the heated grains, the oil will pervade the whole frying pan, meshing with the fine, white grains, apparently transforming it into a yellow color.

The reason for adding the palm oil, of course, is to make it thicker (especially when done with hot water) and starchier. This type of garri (when made with hot water) is referred to as eba and paired with different varieties of soup such as Egusi, Okra, Bitterleaf soup, and more.

White Garri

Unlike the yellow garri, nothing is added to it when roasting. It undergoes the usual processes of production and it’s the most common type of garri you will see in the food shop.

It’s can be soaked or downed with soup in form of (swallow).

Ijebu Garri

This type is usually found in the Western parts of Nigeria, in Ijebu. It’s subjected to the same procedures as the others but the only difference is that it has more fine granules, drier and pleasantly sour when it’s guzzled as a snack.

Ways To Eat Garri

1. Soaked Garri

I wouldn’t fail to list this as the first way to eat garri. Do you know why?

It’s because it’s more common among Nigerian students.

Soaked garri serves as a makeshift brunch or lunch before actual food is prepared.

You rarely come by students who don’t have a cup of garri because they love how easygoing it is than the stress of bustling around in the kitchen in an attempt to cook rice or soup and quench their grumbling stomachs.

To savor the sweetness of this soaked garri, you need to have chilled water. Cold water bares the taste of all the supplements that you will add to the garri.

You also need to have cubes of sugar, groundnut seed, Kuli-kuli (German stone as it’s mostly called and it’s gotten from processing raw groundnuts or peanuts), powdered milk, or condensed milk.

You pour the items into a bowl, and stir them together before drizzling the right amount of chilled water that will bear the taste of the garri.

Note: Ijebu garri is mostly taken as a soaked garri because of its crispiness and mildly sour taste.

2. Garri And Soup

Almost everyone enjoys taking their garri in this form. You will see it in most restaurants both upscale and local restaurants. The garri is made with hot water and conscientiously stirred until it becomes viscous, making it easy for people to mold in circles, dip into their soup, and down with ease.

It can be paired with various types of soup, my favorite being Egusi.

It’s also served on occasions, and at parties (Owambe) in Yoruba language. When you eat this type of garri, you will feel fulfilled.

3. Garri Salad

You can also eat your garri in this form but it’s more common in Ghana and Cameroon. It offers a relishing taste and crunchiness that will water your mouth for more.

This garri salad is basically prepared with onions, vegetable oil, cucumber, ground crayfish, Maggi, salt, pepper, etc and the dried garri gets mixed with the aforementioned ingredients before its tastiness dredges up.

4. Garri And Beans

This is yet another prevalent way of eating garri among students and Nigerians as a whole.

You enjoy this garri with carefully cooked beans. When you are done plating your beans, you soak your garri, only this time you soak it with sugar and milk.

Some do take theirs without adding milk.

Then you scoop your beans and soaked garri together before welcoming it into your mouth.

5. Garri biscuit

Though not many people do this which largely emanates from the time you are expected to expend in prepping it, it’s still very mouthwatering.

People dodge this type because they don’t have baking skills, but you sure can learn a thing or two from online classes these days.

This type of garri is prepped as though you’re baking a cake. It’s made with eggs, sugar, and just anything that you use when baking a cake.

And this type of garri can be munched on straight from the oven or enjoyed when dipped into your soup.

However, it’s mostly common among Ghanaians.

Conclusion on the Different Ways To Eat Garri And Enjoy It

Garri is one of the few staples that can be transformed from one dish to another yet it retains its tastiness. There’s no way garri will be prepared that’ll make you lose interest in eating it.

Are you still contemplating giving it a try? Quit the bubbling confusion in your head and grab a bite of garri staple.

Remember only a trial will convince you. If you are deliberating on ways to savor your garri, I believe this article has spilled a response to your unanswered questions.

If you find any value in this post, share also with your friends who might need it. Join our Content Academy if you want to learn about Storytelling Skills and Content Creation Strategy.