By Soyoqour Quarcoo Tchire
It’s a popular food in Ghana – but Kokonte may not be everyone’s favourite. This nutritive food with adequate amounts of protein and little fat, has a following.
How it came to have many nicknames is anybody’s guess. Whether you call it lapiiwa, face the wall, cold sweat, blackpool, okpolatsa, abitie, or jiji, all members of the Association get the hint.
It is claimed that many Ghanaians survived the famine days of 1983 “by the grace” of kokonte. As part of our Chopology series, we take you on a mouthwatering ride into the world of kokonte.
Kokonte is eaten by various ethnic groups in Ghana, such as the Akans, Ga’s and the Hausa-speaking people. But, it is a dish that has found favour with the Danes.
There is a joke that you can take anything away from the Danes, but not kokonte. When served with groundnut soup or palm-nut soup, the presentation looks very tempting and mouth-watering.
This food dish has the advantage of being less heavy for the stomach. In terms of preservation, kokonte lasts longer, compared to fufu. It also takes less time to prepare, compared to fufu and banku. The base ingredient is cassava flour. Tsikudo Enyonam, a food vendor, takes us through the manufacturing process. In terms of patronage, kokonte is in competition with other local dishes like fufu, banku, and omotuo.
Kokonte is versatile: it can be eaten with soups, gravy or fresh ground pepper. Because of its character, kokonte offers a strategic bridge between banku and fufu.
Its nutritional value is almost at par with its carbohydrate counterparts.
Kokonte is the least expensive meal to prepare for a family in Ghana.
In an economy where the cost of food is above the average family’s budget, kokonte can be a saviour.
Because it is derived from recycled cassava, some people look down on kokonte. This is why some lovers of the meal who buy it in town like to face a wall while eating, to conceal their identity. And this is how Kokonte earned the nickname – “FACE THE WALL”.
In recent times, however, its popularity has grown in leaps and bounds. Those who patronize it believe it has received a raw deal.
To them, the dish deserves more credit than it currently receives, because it actually is finger-licking good.
Lapiiwa! Jijii all the way!
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