NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF FUFU

Fufu is a staple food of West and Central Africa. It is a thick paste usually made by boiling starchy root crops and pounding with a mortar and pestle until the desired texture is attained. Fufu tastes wonderful - especially with groundnut soup, dried fish and assorted vegetables - but it takes many hours of aborious work to prepare.

First, you make your soup.

Then you cook the plantain or yam and cassava; and then you pound and pound and pound until the' mix' is soft enough to swallow without first chewing it. A lot of Ghanaians think it is the most tedious job on earth - making fufu. Despite the tedious work involved in its preparation, many can't live a day without fufu. Does it have any nutritional value? Let's find out.

The nutritional aspect of the diet depends on the soup and meat or fish that it is served with.
Cassava is rich in carbohydrates which supply the body with energy. Plantain is extremely low in fat, high in fibre and starch.

It is very low in cholesterol. It is very rich in potassium, and it is commonly prescribed by doctors for people who have low level of potassium in their blood. Vegetables used in the soup preparation provide important minerals and vitamins in human nutrition. Vegetables are also low in fat and calorie In addition to proteins, vitamins, and minerals, fish oils contain polyunsaturated fats. These are essential for healthy skin, and the normal operation of the liver and kidneys. They also reduce the cholesterol level in blood, decreasing the chances of heart