ABACHA (AFRICAN SALAD )

I had a friend back then in secondary school who brought Abacha to the hostel,her mum brought it on one of those  visiting days, she then decided to share it with her friends as usual because that's how we always do, we would share our food with each other whether your parent came for visiting day or not.

As a yoruba girl living in lagos,I knew African salad but I didn't really know what it looked like, so when I saw it,I really wasn't interested because I've never eaten or tasted it before but my friend insisted that I should have a bite and if I didn't like it,she wouldn't give me again.

 I reluctantly decided to taste it,Lo and behold it was really "A Don't judge a book by his cover kind of thing" but in this case it was "Don't judge a food by how it looks".

 I dragged it from her and took two spoons more before giving the plate back to her.

 My friend kept laughing and playfully said she wouldn't give me again, If you see the way I gave her a pitiful face meaning I wanted more.

 Abacha as it is popularly called especially by the Igbos( The South Eastern part of Nigeria) and eaten majorly by them is an healthy food that is prepared using dried, shredded cassava, it looks like salad,reason why it is called "African Salad".

Cassava generally Is rich in vitamin C,starch,riboflavin thiamine,calcium,protein,fatmagnesium,potassium, niacin and fibre

 Health Benefits Of  Abacha(African Salad)

~ Abacha aids bowel movement.

 ~ It reduces the risk of heart diseases.

~It aids in blood circulation.

~ It improves an individual's vision.

~It keeps the skin fresh.

Other healthy ingredients added in making Abacha(African Salad) includes: Garden Eggs, Cray Fish, Onions, Fluted Pumpkins commonly known as Ugwu, Dry fish or Stock fish.

Are there risk factors? Yes,the risk factor is that if Abacha is cooked in an unhygienic way,it could cause food poisoning.

The same for any other food that is cooked in a poor condition and environment.

 You must ensure food hygiene and cleanliness like washing of your hands and washing of all utensils used for cooking.