Abacha (food)

Abacha (Listen^ⓘ) is a type of food originating with the Igbos in the southeastern part of Nigeria.^[2][1] Abacha is a product of cassava tubers. When the processing of it is done from scratch, harvested cassava is obtained, peeled, washed, cooked and sliced into desired sizes or shapes. It is soaked for a day. It could be prepared instantly as abacha or sun-dried for future use. Shredded dried cassava first needs to be softened by soaking in boiled water and covered up for a few minutes.^[2]

Optional supplementary ingredients, which often represent regionally-derived variations, include ogiri; ugba (also called ukpaka); oporo (large dried shrimp); fried fish; dry fish; coloured peppers; seasoning cubes; ehuru (or "ehulu"; colloquially shortened to ehu); pepper (such as Scotch bonnet); onions; utazi; garden eggs (and sometimes the leaves); ukazi leaves; akidi beans (marked variant); kpomo (or kanda; cow-skin); and ukwa (possibly unique to the Ikwerre people). Palm oil, which may either be red or a combination of red and bleached, is curdled using either kaun (potash), ngu (a traditional version of potash) or baking soda, and the abacha slices are then mixed in the curdled oil.

Adding condiments or additional ingredients allows abacha to be prepared for a range of appetites, depending on whether diners want a light, cold snack or something closer to a stand-alone meal.

• Abacha with onions
• Abacha with protein
• Abacha with fried fish and a glass of palm wine
• Plain abacha

Cassava is the main ingredient in abacha, and a single tuber contains about 80% carbohydrate.^[3] There are 373 calories in one average serving of abacha.

• Eba
• Garri
• Fufu