By Ahmed bilikisu eniola U21MM2021
If you ever visited the riverine areas of ONDO state particularly the ikale speaking towns like irele, okitipupu or even part of ilaje, you've probably had of pupuru you may have even tasted it and if you have, you know that this isn't just another "swallow" dish, pupuru carries weight not just in the stomach, but in memory culture and identity.
I grew up watching my grandmother make pupuru. The process alone felt like a ceremony.
1. First Peel your cassava
2. Transfer to a bowl
3. Cut and wash the cassava.
4. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add water and allow it cover the Cassava.
6. Close and leave it for 3 days.
7. After 3 days remove the farmented cassava water.
8. Add water to the bowl,place the sieve on it and add some soak cassava and squeeze with your hand.
9. The cassava began to separate from the chaff.
10. Squeeze out the water.
11. Transfer into a cheese cloth.
12. Cheese out the transparent water. There was a specific smell to the process, not everyone liked it but to us, the smell meant something delicious was coming.
When properly prepared pupuru has a slightly sour, almost fermented taste it's heavier than EBA, and smoother than amala, it's best partner is egusi soup with bush meat or okro soup made with fresh seafood from the ilaje creeks. For me nothing beats pupuru with bitter leaf soup and well cooked smoked fish that taste of home.
But here's what make pupuru special, it's not just food.It was our answer to food insecurity. In the days before refrigeration, pupuru kept well once dried,it could be stored for month and prepared quickly, the preparation is just like that of EBA.
Today pupuru is not a widely eaten as it used to be.the younger generation prefers semi or instant pounded yam flour, some don't even known how its made .That worries me because with every lost dish, we lose a bit of who we are.
Still I believe pupuru can make a come back. Some local entrepreneurs are already packaging it in cleaner, more hygienic way, turning the traditional into something modern. Pupuru is rich in fiber and natural paired with protein rich soup it is a healthy option we shouldn't let modernization wash away everything traditional, so the next time you are in ONDO state ask for pupuru, you will taste history and maybe fall in love.
