Sunyani: 'I prefer eating the diet with pounded pepper sauce, matched with slice tomatoes, onions, and fried fish'. 'In fact, that combination is unbeatable', Madam Yaa Mana, a food vendor in Sunyani stated, describing 'Akyeke' a local cuisine as one of her favourite traditional diets. She said that: 'I love how the spicy pepper sauce complements the slightly sour taste of Akyeke', urging many to try the diet, as the nation marks the Ghana Month also known as the heritage month.
According to Ghana News Agency, Akyeke, originally known as (Atti©k©), is a Ghanaian-adopted traditional Ivorian dish that has gained popularity with many Ghanaians developing a taste for the diet. The cuisine is now one of the locally prepared traditional dishes very common on the streets and creating job opportunities for some young women in the country. Akyeke is a delicious and versatile diet, made from fermented cassava dough, often served with flavorful sauces, stews, or grilled meats. Checks show that the meaning of the name of the staple food in the C´te D'Ivoire Baoul© dialect is 'pressed or squeezed', reflecting the traditional method of preparing the diet by pressing the cassava dough to remove excess water before steaming.
The preparation of Akyeke is quite involving, but the end result is worthwhile. Firstly, cassava roots are harvested, peeled, washed thoroughly, and ground into a pulp. Cooks then mix the pulp with water and leave it to ferment for some days as the fermentation process breaks down the starch, developing the characteristic flavor of the diet. After fermentation, the cassava mixture is pressed to remove excess water, then grated or pounded into a fine texture before steaming. The mixture is steamed to become lighter and fluffy, releasing a sweet aroma that teases the senses.
Akyeke isn't only delicious but packed with complex carbs from cassava fiber with high Vitamin C and Vitamin B contents. Further checks reveal that the diet contains rich minerals like potassium and magnesium, with the fermentation boosting its nutritional value. It is gluten-free and beneficial for the body when eaten with veggies, proteins, and healthy sauces.
As cooks and vendors learn the preparation of the diet, they deviate from its originality, adding more ingredients like fries, groundnuts, and ripe plantain. However, authentic cassava flour Akyeke remains a luxury due to its high price. Kwadwo Maame, a popular native of Drobo, near Sampa, a town along the Ghana-Cote D'Ivoire border in the Bono Region, and an Akyeke vendor in Sunyani, is pushing to popularize the diet. However, some consumers of the dish said the taste of Kwadwo Maame's Akyeke slightly differs from the original Ivorian Akyeke. According to them, the difference could partly be due to the quantities of ingredients and the preparation processes.
The local Akyeke diet is now trending on the streets, as many Ghanaians opt for and enjoy the dish as either a snack or lunch. Cooks and vendors have modernized the recipe with varieties like grilled fish Akyeke and Akyeke jollof trending on streets. Varieties gaining popularity are the grilled fish Akyeke, normally served with grilled tilapia or sardines, sliced onions, tomatoes, and cabbage or salad. Other consumers prefer the Akyeke Jollof mixed with tomato sauce, veggies, grilled chicken, peanuts, carrots, and soy sauce. 'It is a must-try, join the Akyeke trend and experience the flavors and rich nutritional value', a consumer advised.