I grew up to here my mum always say this proverb everytime she was preparing pounded yam for my dad. She would say owo isi bene ikpang ntuk ayen ikámà àfédéh ikpōh owo that's my dialect but in english it is rendered this way You don't use small children's spoon to turn soup meant for the elders and then I used to wonder why she used to say that but now I know why.
Akwa Ibom State is an highly cultured State in Nigeria known for hospitality and care. The hospitality is done in such a way that screams value and respects and so it is assumed that pounded yam is the most noble meal to entertain an important guest.
The method of preparing this noble meals is what fascinates me the most. Since it is a noble meal, it demands a little bit of strength and time to get it done properly so let's enjoy the process.
The Process
Yam is very rich in potassium, vitamin B6, manganese, thiamin, dietary fiber, and vitamin C
Yam give about 15.9% of protein per intake.
- Peel the yam tuber and after peeling, wash it and boil it.
When the yam gets soft, you pick some out of the pot while the pot is still on fire and you might not have to put off the pot from the fire and the reason is that if it gets cold, the yam becomes strong and difficult to smash. Normally when yam gets cold, it becomes strong again but not as it was when it wasn't cooked yet and while preparing pounded, the yam has to be hot and soft for easy pounding.
Well mum doesn't allow me do this at home so I had the opportunity of preparing pounded yam when I attended a friend's grand mum's funeral and there was no one to help out in pounding the yam so I decided to help.
Some people make their own pounded without adding additives like garri or fufu. Some people prefer it just yam while some like it with additives.
The Difference
The difference between pounded with additives and pounded without additives is that the one without additives has to finish that same day no matter how plenty it was or else you would have to trash it and you know wastage is good. Meanwhile pounded yam with additives can stay over and eaten again the next day.
Mind you,you can't refrigerate pounded yam cause hmmmm... I don't know maybe you will ask my mum.
In my case I added garri to it cause the yam had gotten to soft in the process because no one wanted to pound it.
Garri added
At this point, one doesn't need much strength again to pound all that is needed is to just smash it gently till the garri is properly mixed that you can't separate the two.
Once you can get them mixed together, you can turn it into something and it is ready for food.
Thanks guys for having me. I feel good sharing this process with you and I hope you will try it out yourself. Bye..