Eba

West African staple food

This article is about the African food. For other uses, see EBA (disambiguation).

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Ẹ̀bà (Yoruba) also known as Ebe or Pinon' (in Togo, Benin, and southern Ghana) is a staple swallow from Nigeria, Togo and Benin, also eaten in the West African sub-region and other African countries.[1][2] The term èbà originates from Yoruba. It is a cooked starchy vegetable food made from dried grated cassava (manioc) flour commonly known as garri all across West Africa. It is often eaten with rich soups and stews, with beef, stockfish or mutton. The dish is often described as having a slightly sour, sharp taste.[3][4][5]

Èbà is eaten with the fingers, rolled into a small ball, and dipped into thick soups such as okra soup, chilli paste in Togo, bitter leaf soup or with either okro, ọgbọnọ (Igbo)/ apọn (Yorùbá), or ewédú, meat or fish, stewed vegetables or other sauces such as gbẹ̀gìrì, ofe akwu (banga soup) or egusi soup.[1]

In West Africa, there two types of garri, the white and yellow; the yellow garri is prepared by frying with the addition of palm oil to give it a yellow colour and extra flavour while the white garri is fried without palm oil and is slightly more acidic with a sharper taste.[6][7]

## Preparation

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Blended garri flour is mixed into hot water and stirred thoroughly and vigorously with a wooden spatula until it becomes a firm dough that can be rolled into a ball. It can be made with different types of garri.[8][9][10]

Depending on the type of garri flour used, Ẹ̀bà can vary in colour, from deep yellow to off white. Palm oil is often added to the garri during preparation, resulting in a bright yellow colour.

## Nutrition

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Eba is rich in starch and carbohydrates. Eba has a gross energy content of 381.5 kcal which is higher than other cassava products like fufu and lafun with 180 kcal and 357.7 respectively.[11] However, it has a crude protein content of 0.9g/100g, slightly lower than fufu and lafun with 1.0g/100g and 1.1g/100g respectively.[11][12]

## Gallery

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* Garri to eat by hand with fish and greens. Ndop, Northwest Cameroon, 2011

* Eba and Efo riro (vegetable soup) with fish. Nigeria, 2014

* Wraps of Eba and pounded yam

## See also

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* Akara
* Amala
* Bread
* Cassava
* Egusi soup
* Fufu
* Garri
* Pounded yam
* Sadza
* Ugali

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "A Quick Guide to Fufu, Africa's Staple Food". OkayAfrica. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
2. ^ "Tomi's Kitchen". Bolt Food. Retrieved 23 May 2022.[permanent dead link]
3. ^ "What is Eba | How to Prepare Garri". allnigerianfoods.com. 29 December 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
4. ^ "Nigerian Eba". Serious Eats. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
5. ^ Amaechi, Din (17 March 2022). "What Does Eba Mean in Nigeria?". Retrieved 23 May 2022.[permanent dead link]
6. ^ Adewale, Femi (1 November 2018). "Eba, Amala healthier than Wheat". Freedom Online. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
7. ^ "Eba – African Food Network". 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
8. ^ "Eba Recipe – A Nigerian Garri Meal". 9jafoods. 4 September 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
9. ^ Ayambem, Eya (29 March 2019). "How to make eba without lumps". Wives Connection. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
10. ^ "Nigerian Eba (How To Make Eba)". My Active Kitchen. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
11. ^ a b Ayankunbi, M. A.; Keshinro, O. O.; Egele, P. (1 January 1991). "Effect of methods of preparation on the nutrient composition of some cassava products—Garri (eba), 'Lafun' and 'Fufu'". Food Chemistry. 41 (3): 349–354\. doi:10.1016/0308-8146(91)90059-W. ISSN 0308-8146.
12. ^ "Eba Food Recipe + Calories and Benefits | EpersianFood". 3 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eba.

* Animashaun, Ayoola (12 February 2014). "Iyan (Pounded Yam)". mydestination.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
* "Nutrition Facts. Eba. Calories". fatsecret.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
* "Nigerian Yoruba – White Eba (Cooked Garri) Serving Size : 100 g". Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

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