Discovering Abora : The traditional Ewe dish of boiled maize

In the rich culture of the Ewe is a variety of sumptuous foods, meals and dishes one might have not even come across before. Farming is a work or occupation that almost every household in the region engages in whether backyard or commercial. During the rainy season, bare lands behind houses known as backyards are planted with maize especially since it is the number one food commodity consumed by the people. Apart from roasting fresh corn or boiling fresh corn, dried maize is also used to prepare a wonderful dish called Abora.

Abora is prepared from a carefully selected maize variety and this blog will show you how the food is prepared, seasoned and served.

How to prepare abora

i) Maize selection

The varieties of maize available come with their specific cooking behaviours making it important to select or buy one that is suitable for preparing abora. Once a person goes to the market and lets the maize seller know about the intention of preparing abora, he or she will be sold the right kind suitable for the dish. Some varieties can take way longer time to cook and might not even have the enjoyable taste required to feel the food.

ii) Soaking and boiling

Boiling the dried maize takes hours to cook so to make things easier, it can be soaked overnight or for some hours before boiling. The cooking time will be reduced. However, the maize can just be washed in a clean water and then poured into a pot of water over the fire. The water must be plenty to cook well and as it boils, it must be monitored that in case the water level drops, more is added until the maize softens. 

iii) Seasoning and serving

One sign that the abora is ready is that the maize grain begins to split and the inner white begins to show but this does not cut across all maize varieties. The boiling is completed when the maize is soft enough because if not so, one can have some issues like running stomach. As it is well-cooked, the water begins to thicken a little. To consume, a portion is fetched in a bowl and salt is added, mixed very well with it and then eaten.

Garnishing abora

Seasoning with just salt to consume is just the normal way of enjoying this food but there are a lot more ingredients that make the food look very classic and attractive.

Ingredients for garnishing:

• Groundnut (roasted)
• Dry coconut
• Sugar

After seasoning with salt, roasted groundnut and sugar is added to mix. Dry coconut can also be added and this actually makes it creates some milky taste as it is being eaten.

 In another way, raw groundnut which has not been roasted is washed and added to the abora or boiled maize on fire when it is almost ready. Ripe pawpaw which is very soft can also be added to it on fire and when it cooks well, the taste is nothing but superb.

Why should you try abora?

If you love to taste foods from different cultural backgrounds and appreciate diversity then this is the food to try. This dish is a kind that among the Ewes, some women prepare it nicely, carry it on their heads and sell in neighbouring towns, markets and even in schools. With enough cooking fuel, and the right kind of maize at hand, you're all set to try a rich cultural food that helps you appreciate the hardworking farmer and the Ghanaian culture.

Significance of abora

As said earlier,  maize is the most consumed food commodity in the land which is used to prepare foods like akple, kakro, abolo, roasted corn etc. Abora comes in as a substitute for akple at times since akple is eaten almost everyday. This food offers some unusual energy for work. On the farm, one food that is carried along usually is abora with dry coconut because as you eat, you exercise your jaw, gum and teeth, have a good energy for work and one can drink a lot of water to work all day.