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Gari-Eba

Product Identity

What Is Gari/Eba? How Is It Traditionally Processed? By Whom? and Where?

Gari is a creamy white, granular flour with a slightly fermented flavour and a slightly sour taste made from fermented, gelatinized fresh cassava roots. Traditionally, the main processing steps involve peeling the roots, washing, grating, fermentation ranging from zero to seven days, pressing, sieving, roasting, cooling and packaging. It is mainly processed by women, although men can also be involved. When gari is reconstituted in boiled water (100°C) and allowed to stand for less than five minutes, it turns into a thick paste which is a product called eba. It is a starchy staple food eaten in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria and some parts of Ghana.

Eba is produced traditionally by bringing potable water to boiling point (100°C) inside a stainless-steel pot. Gari is then sprinkled or slowly added to the boiled water inside the pot as soon as possible and covered. It is left standing for 60 seconds, after which the mixture is stirred using a wooden or iron stirrer until it is lump free and provides the texture preferred by consumers (Figure 1).

Eba is consumed in most West Africa countries, especially Nigeria, Togo, Republic of Benin and some parts of Ghana.