1212 Garri

In West Africa, garri refers to the creamy granular flour obtained by processing the starchy tuberous roots of freshly harvested cassava.

In the Hausa Language, the term ‘garri’ can also refer to the powdery granules obtained from processing other crops such as guinea corn, maize, rice, yam, plantain and millet. For example: garin dawa is obtained by processing guinea corn, and likewise, garin masara and garin alkama are derived from processing maize and wheat respectively. Garin magani is a powdery medicine.

Flour foodstuffs mixed with cold or boiled water are a major part of the diet amongst the various ethnicities of Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon and Liberia

To make garri flour, cassava tubers are peeled, washed and grated or crushed to produce a mash. The mash can be mixed with palm oil and placed in a porous bag, which is then placed in an adjustable press machine for 1–3 hours to remove excess water. Once dried it is then sieved and fried in a large clay frying pot with or without palm oil. The resulting dry granular garri can be stored for long periods. It may be pounded or ground to make a fine flour.