User:Ndikum eric/sandbox

Achu(taro-malanga arum akumsis) is a local indigenous food native to the grass field ethnic groups of west cameroon popularly known as the Ngembas. it is made up of pounded coco-yams and wild short bananas of the musa acuminata family. simply washed and boiled with their peelings, the coco-yams and bananas are gradually peeled, put in a mortar then pounded to a smooth paste with the help of a pestle. when this fine smooth paste has been obtained, achu is then served either with achu yellow soup, or black soup made from budding colocassia esculenta dried leaves. Achu is a dish that’s eaten mostly in the Western parts and of course north western parts of Cameroon. It is usually eaten with different types of soups, for example yellow soup or green soup. It’s a staple food in the western part of Cameroon because the soil and the weather are favorable for growing coco-yams. It can also be called “fufu” in some places or “taro” in the French speaking part of Cameroon. It is a real traditional food in western Cameroon because of the method of preparation, serving and of eating. In a typical traditional setting people eating achu on the same leaf symbolizes unity. With the coming of modernism, people no longer eat achu on leaves; neither do they eat in the same plate. However, to maintain the spirit of unity in a family or community, everybody sits at the table at meal time when achu is the menu of the day. Even though modernism has taken the leaves away, there’s still one thing that modernism will never steal as far as achu is concerned: it remains a fact that it will always be eaten with the fingers and never with a spoon

1. receipe.

A. ACHU DISH 6 BIG COCO-YAMS(colocassia esculenta). 6 SMALL COCO-YAMS (malanga xanthasoma). 10 unripe short wild bananas of the musa accuminata family. water to mix.

B .Achu soup(yellow). 1 kg of assorted meat parts. 1/2 kg of dried fish. i cup of palm oil. 1 liter of water. 1 piece of limestone(or i cup of drained potassium(nikki). salt-pepper. a collection of wild spices(usually found in sub Saharan dense forest.

2. preparation

The meal starts with some nicely boiled coco-yams (taro), which are then pounded into the Achu fufu (a whitish paste). The pounded coco-yam is eaten with either a black soup made with coco leaves or a yellow soup. It is mostly eaten with the yellow soup which is made up of "kanwa" (limestone), palm oil and a special blend of spices. In the absence of kanwa, baking soda could be used because it has a component that is also present in limestone. Now there has been an argument at home and abroad(but not chemically or biologically proven) that kanwa is not good for health: So many people resort to making an alternative to kanwa called "Nikki" It is achieved by burning peels of plantains for a long time to achieve an ash-looking substance. Distillation is done, and NIKKI with her major component potassium is then used for the soup. Some ingredients for achu soup includes achu spices, nikki and palm oil. The spices used in making achu soup are many. Traditionally, some are roasted then ground to a powder on a grinding stone. One could go the easy way, by purchasing ready made spice blend. If you live abroad especially in Europe and the USA, you can get that from an African store - most likely an African store owned by a Cameroonian.There are big achu eating houses owned especially by the Akum people of the north west region of Cameroon.

3 Procedure

1. Wash meat or fish thoroughly, cut into required pieces, season with salt and boil until cooked. 2. Wash and grind separately, pepper, black pepper and other condiments. 3. Heat red palm oil until very hot. 4. Put limestone(or nikki) in hot red palm oil and stir. 5. Pour meat stock into the hot red palm oil with lime stone and mix until soup is foamy: possibly use a blender to make the soup more even. 6. place prepared ball of achu in soup plate, make a small well in the middle and serve the soup in the achu well. 7. With the right hand index finger scoop achu at a time from the outside, dip into the well of soup and eat. If well preserved, achu could be eaten for up to a week.