A Bowl Of Hope: Ode to Garri




Food is very essential for human’s survival. It gives us the fuel and energy to keep up with our day-to-day activities. Truly, no one fares well on an empty stomach. From our earliest lessons, we learn about the six classes of food and their functions in our lives. Yet, on closer observation, a large percentage of what we eat in this part of the world is carbohydrates. And there are countless sources of this energy-giving class of food: rice, yam, cassava, maize, and many more.


We prepare white rice and stew or jollof, sometimes with a little fish or meat. We make yam porridge, boiled yam with sauce (egg sauce sometimes), pounded yam that stretches into family meals. We turn corn and cassava flour into ójé (swallow), mold akpu from fermented cassava, and find comfort in plates that carry both memory and meaning.


But my major focus is garri.


Garri is a lifesaver. A true companion, especially to the student who lives away from home, the student with not much time to spare for the kitchen, the student whose foodstuff has finished but is left with a  few worthy naira that can still buy a cup of hope. Garri nourishes not just the body, but the brain that must keep reading, writing, and surviving.


From farm to bowl, its journey is humble. Cassava is harvested, peeled, washed, crushed into pulp, fermented, sieved, squeezed, and finally roasted (in pans) into golden grains with a taste only patience can create. "God Bless" whoever discovered this meal. "God Bless" those who make it readily available, and those who sell it at good market value.


Manihot Uttilisima (cassava), is primarily cherished for its richness in carbohydrates as a good source of energy. It is not rich in protein, but there are small amounts of vitamins and minerals like iron, phosphorus, magnesium, sulphate... We call it GARIUM SULPHATE in my local circle, don't mind the contents in this context, the fermentation and frying process reduce the cyanide content to make it safe for our consumption, but it also diminish the small traces of vitamins and minerals in it.


It takes only a few minutes to soak. For those seeking survival rather than enjoyment, it swells quickly. Sugar, groundnut, milk, coconut, whatever the pocket allows and can afford, can be added to give it life. It needs no special packaging, no loud advertisement.


We make nice eba from it, don't mind us, we can make it big, eat a portion, cover it, add some warm water to soften it. It goes well with almost all our soups. Life of a school child! For some, it's not really about taste, the goal is satisfaction, and garri comes with lots of convenience and flexibility.


When you're good, you're good ahbeg.


Garri is more than just food . It is resilience in a bowl, companionship in hunger, and a quiet proof that survival often comes in the simplest forms. In its grains lie stories of students, workers, families, and nights conquered by patience. Garri is a lifeline, a comfort and a cultural cornerstone. And in every cup soaked, there is gratitude for life, for strength, and for the small mercies that keep us going.


®Ahmed Salim Jn ✍️ 

#Uloko

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