The local food called `abacha’, made with cassava flakes or tapioca, also known as kpokpo garri, has assumed an alarming dimension in Enugu State as all classes of residents patronize the meal.
A survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Friday revealed that many major streets, eateries and popular junctions have one or more joints as well as those that sell it in a mobile cart.
While many people patronize the vendors, some others prefer visiting special joints where they eat it with palm-wine and bush meat.
When NAN visited the abacha joints at Uwani, Independence Layout, Obiagu, Abakpa Nike and Gariki areas, they were filled with consumers from different walks of life.
Mrs Bridget Agbo, who owns one of the joints in Uwani, said that she sold a 50 kilogram bag of the cassava product daily and more than that during weekends.
“I enjoy high patronage in the sale of abacha or jigbo from people from all walks of life including civil servants, bankers, politicians and students.
“In fact, some people book me ahead of time and I package for them in take-away packs.
“I equally prepare it for some people during social events like marriage, child dedication, house-warming, thanksgiving and burial ceremonies.
“I have been in this business in the past 10 years and use the proceeds to assist my husband in the upkeep of our family,’’ she said.
Another seller at the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Mrs Ngozi Obah said that a plate of the food with fried fish sold for N500 while with stockfish, dried bush meat attracted additional N1, 000 per plate.
“Abacha is highly consumed by Igbos and it is a food for all season.
“I make a profit of between N20, 000 and N25, 000 daily. It is a good business and easy to prepare. You can start the business with N5, 000, if you want to hawk it.
“As a widow, I train my six children from the business and three of the children are under graduates.
Some women do come to learn the trade from me. I have not less than 100 customers that patronise me daily,” she added.
Another seller at Independence Layout, Enugu, Mrs Amuche Ugwu said that abacha had been a delicacy of Enugu people adding that it was prepared in every traditional ceremony in the state.
“About 30 per cent of Enugu residents consume it daily. I started the business as far back as 1999 and have no regrets because it is lucrative.
“Majority of my customers are students, artisans, bachelors, drivers and other passersby.
“Most of us selling abacha are no longer interested in white-collar jobs because the petty business sometimes pays more than many government jobs,” she said.
Some consumers, who spoke with NAN, said that the food was good, cheap and readily available anywhere in Enugu.
A student at the Institute of Management and Technology, Chikwere Edeh and a corps member, Seyi Adekunle said they could buy N100 worth and be satisfied.
According to Edeh, it becomes costly if you start adding oil bean known as ukpaka and assorted fish and meat.
The Head of Department, Food and Nutrition, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Elizabeth Ngwu said that abacha had good nutritional value in human body.
Ngwu said that the snack was prepared with pepper, palm oil, crayfish, castor oil, oilbean, vegetable, garden egg, onions and eaten with meat or fish which contained the six classes of food.
She recommended that every family should form the habit of preparing abacha at least once or twice in a week, as it had good nutritional value in children’s growth.