This guy over ate gari for months and he regretted

We are about to climb a hill upon which an interesting event unfolded and it happens to be full of humour but coupled with lessons to grasp and never let go. Gari is the food and the matter around which this whole event revolves. It is a food considered by the less financially privileged as the easy to afford and quick to eat food product. A good product you can find in many countries especially in Africa. Deep in villages where cassava farms are very common, commercial gari production is a business that sustains livelihoods from generation to generation.

•  The varieties of easy to prepare recipes it can make all account to why students always have it as part of their goodies for school. 
• Its ability to stay healthy for long without spoilage is a much added advantage .
• Very affordable as compared to other locally produced food substances.

A young man of middle age liked eating gari in various forms like soakings, gari with stew, gari mixed with soup etc. 

For him what people say about the effect of too much consumption of gari is not a thing to worry about. Notable among these effects is 'beriberi' also known as 'itchy skin'. Others can include getting issues with the eye and also piles. These effects are prevalent in cases of too much consumption and overuse. These are among the reasons why gari has to be combined with healthy meals or food substances and not just ingested as a raw food as it is full of carbohydrate or what normally is known as starch. 

For months this guy could eat gari whether in soakings, (gari + sugar + water) and rarely with groundnut or milk to balance it. At times gari + shito or gari with sugar without even water. The interesting part is how he could even consume this combination three times a day continuously in a week. The effects included upset in the stomach at times that resulted in frequent visit to the washroom. A minute effect he also noticed was little itches in the eye which could be attributed to 'beriberi or itchy skin:

The combinations obviously lacked balance and devoid of essential food nutrients the body might have needed.

The decision 

No one had to give a caution before the man desisted from over consumption and even a long pause since such a lifestyle could have amounted to even bigger issues.

Best gari recipes to try

Pinor ( Gariba)

I know this food can be found all over Ghana but predominantly the Volta Region. It is a food prepared using gari in addition to stew and either fish or any kind of fried meat.

How it is prepared...

The meat to be used is seasoned or spiced well and boiled before frying. The water remains of the boiled meat is not thrown away but kept and seasoned well with pepper, ginger, garlic all ground. More water is added and other ingredients per the preferences of the cook or vendor is included.  This is allowed to boil very well. A considerate amount of gari is poured in a bowl big enough and as the well seasoned water is being added, it is stirred thoroughly with banku stick. The water is added little by little and the gari mixture stirred until a thick dough is formed which at this stage should be like akple or banku.

This is then overturned in a plate and with a ladle, a small hole is pressed at the top and the stew poured there. It is then garnished with the fried meat, onions, tomatoes and other preferred vegetables all nicely sliced.

More gari recipes in this blog...