Reasons why the poor and rich. Drink garri

Garri is made from cassava which contains hydrocyanic acid (cyanide), which, in sufficient quantity, can lead to serious eye defects, intestinal issues and worsening of ulcers. Proper and thorough processing of the garrishould reduce the concentration of the acid.

In West Africa, most especially Nigeria, one very indispensable food is Garri. The food which is derived from Cassava tubers is locally called “Garri” by many Nigerian tribes and is pronounced as ‘garry’. Other names that it is called is ‘African or cassava flakes, gari, garry, or gali’. There are many health benefits of cassava garri, and there are also effects of garri on health. the English name of Garri is always referred to as "Cassava flakes".

Importance of Garri

Because of its affordability, Garri is enjoyed by all and sundry. The rich and the poor all consume garri. It is used to make “Eba” after mixing with hot water and taken with soups. And because of its flaky nature when soaked in cold water, it is popularly taken as a food drink in many households. Though, the drinking of garri is common among poor and average families (because the rich could easily afford well-processed flakes made from corn), it is taken with milk, sugar, suya (roasted meat), groundnut, kulikuli (snacks made from groundnut), coconut, fried meat, fish (raw, cooked or fried) and the list is endless.

Garri has plentiful benefits as it increases vitality in its consumers. However, taking too much of garri can have some serious health effects on health and vision. Before discussing the effects of garri on health, take a look at the many benefits.

Benefits Of Garri (Cassava Flakes) To Your Health

As mentioned earlier, Garri is a staple food, and mostly eaten in all of West Africa. It is a food that every common man craves for, and it is locally produced.

Garri is a grain-like food substance that is derived from drying and processing of starchy plant tuber, cassava. The major nutritional content of Garri is carbohydrate. It is a very cheap and indigenous source of energy. Unlike rice and other expensive food commodities that are eaten occasionally due to its price and availability, garri is easily produced in small quantities for home consumption by families most of whom engage in subsistence farming, or in larger quantities for sale.  

Cassava is used to produce two popular local food types called Garri and Akpu (or Fufu). Akpu is a white food substance that has been prepared from Cassava after allowing for fermentation and later boiled for eating with soup. For Garri, cassava is soaked and fermentation is allowed. Then it grounded, fried and dried for storage purposes. Garri can be in yellow or white colour depending on what type of palm oil was used to fry it. Yellow garri is said to be more nutritious than white garri, since it is fried with palm oil which contains vitamins like A and C.

Garri can be taken on its own by soaking in water and drinking, but it could also be mixed with hot water, and be eaten with soup to give a balanced diet, since it is mostly an energy giving food and can help give energy to farm workers, busy professionals, people recovering from malaria, and even used for recovery from alcohol hangover.