WHAT IS GARRI? PROCESSING STEPS AND HEALTH BENEFITS
What is Garri? processing steps and health benefits
Garri is one of the cheapest foods eaten in West Africa; it is popular in Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo. It is also known as “gari” and is one of the most common foods in these regions.
How to eat garri?
Garri is a quick and cheap dish. Garri is starchy and when placed in cold water, it absorbs water and can swell up to three times, making it nutritious.
Garri can be eaten with sugar, peanuts, milk, kuli kuli, fried fish. Coconut, etc. Soaking garri (or “drinking” as they say in Nigeria) is popular with students of all levels and busy people because they can prepare a meal or a meal in -without any effort.
Garri put in two plates
One quantity of garri immediately added cold water and 5 minutes later.
When hot water is added to the garri, the starch gelatinizes and becomes viscous. This hard, food like “bean fusion” is very popular. Eba is a delicious dish made with soups such as melon, okra, ewedu, efo riro, etc. This is another quick dish made from garri. To make eba, you just add boiling water and garri and mix well to make a thick paste.
Eba served with melon soup
Garri is a different food that is used to prepare other dishes such as garri fotor (Ghana) and Garri Pinon (Togo).
Being the Hausa in northern Nigeria made into patties and fried to make Wainar Rogo.
Mix it with stewed beans / bean porridge. Mix it with cold water to get a paste called “feselu”, which is eaten in soup. This often happens in residential schools and places where people do not have access to running water. Tossed with canned fish and tomato sauce was popular when I was in high school.
Type of garri
White Garri:
This is the type of garri commonly found in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. The body is peeled, boiled, boiled, boiled and boiled to get white garri. No oil is require during the process.
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Also known as Igbo garri and Atam garri. It is commonly eaten in the Niger Delta region of eastern Southern Nigeria . Palm oil is added during the process of making this Nigerian garri. The addition of palm oil gives it a yellow color, hence its name. Yellow garri is starchier and therefore more viscous. This characteristic, combined with the fact that it is not sour, makes it ideal for making eba.
Ijebu Garri:
This type of Nigerian garri is preferred for soaking because of its taste. It is allowed to ferment longer than other types of garri – about seven days. This long fermentation gives it a strong taste and reduces the starch content because it turns into alcohol during the process. Ijebu garri is produced in the Ijebu region of western Nigeria and is drier and softer with larger granules than other.
Ghana Garri:
It is a type of white garri produced in Ghana. It undergoes a slightly different process than other types: it is dried in the sun after fermentation and pressing before it is fried. This makes it sharper than white garri. Ghana garri is good for eba because it is starchy and viscous.
Where to get garri
For those who live abroad, garri can be found in African, Caribbean and Asian stores. Also available on Amazon
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How long can garri be stored?
1. Fry or roast garri thoroughly to reduce its moisture content and spoilage.
2. Use closed plastic buckets and bags to minimize contact with air.
3. Store in a cool dry place.
Research from Ohio State University shows that proper processing of cassava – drying, soaking in water, peeling or baking – significantly reduces the cyanogen content of cassava.
Steps in processing garri
Step 1: Get the Best Raw Cassava Ingredients
This is the first step in turning cassava into garri. If you have cassava plants, you need to sort your cassava tubers and choose the best ones to ensure that the cassava is healthy and suitable for garri processing.
Step 2: Wash and clean the cassava tubers
Cassava tubers still contain a lot of dirt and grass, and you should wash them to ensure that there are no impurities in the finished cassava tubers.
Some garri processing companies have complete washing machines, including washing and drying machines, such as dry sieves and washing machines, which you can use to improve the efficiency of washing.
Step 3: Remove the two layers of skin from the cassava
The skin on the top of the cassava is very tough, so both layers must be removed to ensure that it can be regenerated.
There is also a special garri processing machine (peeling machine) for this step. You can use it to treat garri and the peeling rate can reach 95%.
Step 4:Grind the cassava tubers into wet mash
This step can remove some of the cyanide from the cassava tubers.
The traditional method is to grind the mold by hand using a piece of wrought iron. Not only does it take a long time but it often results in serious finger injuries. The modern method is to use a grinder that is safe, easy to use and efficient.
It is good to mention that you should only choose a stainless steel cassava machine to ensure food safety and no contamination. Be careful!!! Do not stick your hand into a running cassava grater, as this may cause accidental injury.
Step 5: Pack the wet cassava mash and ferment for 2-3 days
The ground cassava mash is placed in a bag and placed on a rackfor fermentation. During this process, hydrocyanic acid (HCN) is slowly extracted from cassava tubers. You can control the time of fermentation according to your taste, the longer the fermentation, the stronger the sourness.
But you have to carefully control the fermentation process because if you leave it to ferment for a short time, it will result in insufficient fermentation and a bad product.
Step 6: Drain the water from the cassava mash
You need to drain the water from the cassava mash. This should not be done by pressing the garri bag with your hands.
Manual cassava dewatering method
Some people use sticks and strong ropes to tie a garri bag, and then put heavy stones in the garri bag to apply pressure to the mold. This process is slow and is not a suitable option for a commercial garri producer.
Therefore, you can buy a dehydrator to dehydrate it to 38-40%. Then you have to break the dried cassava cake, you can choose to massage by hand or machine. It is useful for future garri frying.
Step 7: Fry the cassava grits to white garri or yellow garri
To get good garri, you must control the temperature. If the temperature is high, the garri will be fried. If the temperature is too low, the garri will dry slowly and form a dry white powder. If you want to get yellow garri, you can add a little palm oil while frying.
Step 8: Sieve and pack the garri product in plastic bags and store properly
To ensure that the garri particles are equal, you need to sieve the garri. A faster method is to use a vibrating sieve for sieving. Finally, you can put the garri in a bag for storage or sell it directly.
Here are 6 health benefits of Garri
1. weight control
Are you trying to lose weight? Then Garri is the one to go to. Although starchy is very small, it is also low in calories and the high fiber of cassava helps you to stay longer and prevent overeating.
2. Good for digestive system
Garri contains fiber that is not water soluble. It helps in the absorption of toxins that enter your intestines. In this way, it improves your digestive health and allows it to function properly.
3. Prevents cancer
Hard to believe, isn’t it? Garri also helps prevent life-threatening diseases such as cancer. The B17 content in cassava leaves helps to increase the content of red blood cells, the loss of which often leads to cancer.
4. Perfect for diarrhea
The story your mother told you about the healing power of garri is true. It also treats conditions like diarrhea. Just eat it or drink it with water twice a day for the difference.
5. It’s good for the eyes
Garri is rich in vitamin A and bakarotennya which improves the health of your eyes and prevents blindness or vision loss.
6. Load up on folate
Pregnant women need more vitamin C and folate. One cup of garri contains 15 percent of the daily folate requirement and 47 percent of the daily calcium requirement. These two vitamins also support the immune system.
7. Makes your body soft and shiny
The bark of the tree can be used as a skin exfoliant. You can split the peels, make fresh paste and use it as soap. Wash your face thoroughly for a few minutes and rinse with cold water. Do it thrice a week to get good results. Make sure that the straw does not go into your mouth.
8. A beautiful face mask
The cassava plant also makes a beautiful face mask. Before preparing your face mask, make sure you wash your face with lukewarm water. This will help open the pores. A cassava mask will be quick and will improve the texture and condition of your skin. Once you wash your face, wait for it to dry completely. You can wash now with cold water to close the pores. Use your fingers to dry them. Doing this three times a week will prevent and remove the trap and return to a healthy glow. Link: 16 Easy Homemade Face Masks for Skin
9. Hydrate the skin
Skin can also make your skin soft and smooth. For this, you will need to prepare a mask at home. Take cassava root with honey or olive oil. You can also combine it with fruits. A few drops of lemon juice will also do the trick.
10. Removes scars and spots
Cassava starch water can help heal wounds if you apply it gently to the affected area about twice a day. 5. Helps your hair grow faster
If you are tired of the condition of your hair, especially because it grows fast, I would recommend Cassava. Its roots and leaves can be used to freshen the paste on oily hair an hour before washing it. Doing this twice a week will help you see a change.
11. Control hair loss
Women often complain that their hair is falling out. They are tired of talking about it, and we are tired of hearing it! Cassava is a simple, quick and effective solution to this problem. This will condition your hair from root to tip, moisturize it and control hair loss, if the main cause of hair loss is not hormonal. d
