Ingredients
The cassava
- 3 kgfresh cassava root
- a sweet variety
- peeled thickly
- cut into large pieces
- see the safety notes carefully
- or 1 kg ready-made water fufu
- from an African grocer
For fermenting
- a large container
- plenty of clean water
- changed daily
- a cool place
For cooking
- a heavy pot
- a strong wooden spoon or paddle
- a little water
- a pinch of salt, optional
To wrap and serve
- banana leaves
- or cling film
- cold water, to wet hands
- eru or another sauce
- see the note
Directions
- Discard any root that tastes sharp. Discard that water and do not reuse it. Ready-made water fufu is widely sold. Cut roots deteriorate very quickly. Cut one open before buying several. It should smell clean and faintly sweet.
- Cut the root into manageable lengths. Cut both of the ends off each piece. Score the thick skin lengthways. Cassava skin is thick and brown. Use a sharp knife and peel it thickly. Cut out the fibrous central core. Rinse the peeled flesh thoroughly. Put the pieces in a large container.
- Cover them generously with clean water. Weigh them down if they float. Keep the container somewhere cool. Do not seal it tightly at all. Cover it loosely with a cloth or lid. Drain it, rinse the pieces and refill.
- Continue for three to five days. The cassava becomes very soft. Discard it if it smells genuinely putrid. Discard it if you see any mould. Drain it and discard the water. Fibres left in ruin the smooth texture. Work it with your hands or a spoon. Discard the fibrous material left behind. You will still need to sieve it afterwards.
- Put the sieved pulp in a cloth bag. Let it drain and press out the water. Leave it draining for several hours. You want a thick and damp paste. Put the drained paste in a heavy pot. Add a little water to loosen it. Add a pinch of salt if you like.
- Heat the pan over a medium heat. Stir it constantly from the beginning. Use a strong wooden spoon or paddle. Hold the pot steady with a cloth. A sliding pot of hot paste is a burn risk. Press it against the side of the pot. Fold it over on itself repeatedly. Beat out every single lump you find. Continue for about twenty minutes. It becomes smooth, white and elastic.
- Add a splash of hot water if too stiff. Now shape the dough while it is hot. Scoop out a portion and swirl it round. That forms a smooth round ball. Take small pieces if you are new to it. Never give large lumps to a small child. Sprinkle water over it before reheating. Steam it from frozen to reheat.
Technique
- Cassava contains linamarin, which converts to hydrogen cyanide when the tissue is damaged. Poisoning is documented and includes konzo, a condition causing permanent leg paralysis, in places where cassava is poorly processed. The days-long soak used here is itself a processing method: it leaches the compounds into the water, which is exactly why that water must be changed daily and discarded, and why a short soak does not do the job.
- Never eat cassava raw or taste the soaking pulp, always peel it thickly with a knife rather than a peeler, cook it right through, and discard any root that tastes bitter. Bitterness is the warning signal.
- Ready-made water fufu is widely sold in vacuum packs by African grocers, already fermented and processed. It is by far the easier route and the safer one, and the atlas recommends it.
- Do not seal the fermenting container. Fermentation produces gas that has to escape; cover it loosely.
- It should smell sharply sour, which is strong and normal. Discard it if it smells genuinely putrid or if you see any mould — trust your nose over the calendar.
- Sieve the softened cassava thoroughly. Fibres left in ruin the smooth texture that defines the dish, and a blender alone does not remove them.
- Cooking it is genuinely hard physical work and the pot will try to slide. Wedge it or hold it with a cloth — a moving pot of scalding stiff paste is a real burn risk. Use a strong wooden paddle, since a weak spoon will break.
- It should stretch when pulled and come away from the pot sides. Undercooked fufu tastes sour and raw with a chalky texture.
- This is a swallow food, pinched, dipped and swallowed without chewing. That carries a real choking risk for anyone unpractised — small pieces, never large ones for a child, and water on the table.
- The classic partner is eru, made from finely shredded Gnetum leaves harvested from wild forest. Demand has grown and wild populations are under pressure, with cultivation efforts still limited. The atlas notes that.
Substitutions
- Ready-made water fufu from an African grocer replaces the entire process and only needs reheating.
- Dry fufu flour, sold in packets, makes a related swallow far more quickly, though it lacks the sour fermented character.
- Akpu is the Nigerian name for essentially the same product.
- Cling film replaces banana leaf for wrapping, at the cost of the leaf aroma.
- Any West African soup or stew replaces eru — egusi, okra or bitterleaf all work.
- Spinach with a little okra approximates eru’s texture where Gnetum is unavailable, though the flavour is quite different.
Variations
- Water fufu and eru together is the defining plate of Cameroon’s Southwest Region, and the two are almost always named as a pair.
- Garri, made from grated fermented cassava roasted dry, is the other great cassava staple and is quite different.
- Attiéké in Côte d’Ivoire is fermented cassava steamed into granules rather than made into a dough.
- Akpu in Nigeria is the same fermented cassava dough under another name.
- Yakeyake in Ghana steams the same fermented cassava into coarse granules.
- Pounded yam and cocoyam fufu are the other swallows served with the same sauces.
History
Cassava is soaked for days until it ferments and softens, then sieved and cooked; the pairing with eru is the Southwest’s defining plate.
Frequently asked questions
What is Water fufu?
Water fufu is a main from Cameroon: soft white ball of fermented cassava dough, the standard partner to eru. Cassava is soaked for days until it ferments and softens, then sieved and cooked; the pairing with eru is the Southwest’s defining plate.
How long does Water fufu take to make?
Water fufu takes 20 minutes plus 3 to 5 days fermenting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Water fufu?
Yes, within limits. Ready-made water fufu from an African grocer replaces the entire process and only needs reheating. Dry fufu flour, sold in packets, makes a related swallow far more quickly, though it lacks the sour fermented character. Akpu is the Nigerian name for essentially the same product. Cling film replaces banana leaf for wrapping, at the cost of the leaf aroma. Any West African soup or stew replaces eru — egusi, okra or bitterleaf all work. Spinach with a little okra approximates eru’s texture where Gnetum is unavailable, though the flavour is quite different.
What is the most important thing to get right in Water fufu?
Discard any root that tastes sharp. Discard that water and do not reuse it. Ready-made water fufu is widely sold. Cut roots deteriorate very quickly. Cut one open before buying several. It should smell clean and faintly sweet.
