Amala (food)

Àmàlà is a thick brown paste or porridge made from yam skin, which had been peeled, cleaned, dried and then blended into a flour. It is eaten in West Africa, primarily among the Yorùbá of Nigeria. Àmàlà is made by slicing yam which is a very popular vegetable in Nigeria, drying and grinding it into yam flour which is then sieved and processed into amala by mixing the powder into boiling water and stirring it to a desired texture. It could be served with a variety of ọbẹ (soup), such as ẹfọ, ilá, ewédú, or gbegiri (black-eyed beans soup).

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Types

There are generally two types of àmàlà. One is àmàlà iṣu, which is derived from sliced, dried, ground and processed yams tubers into yam powder. When this processed yam powder is added to hot water, it gradually turns into a black/brown dough. This can be eaten with a variety of soups (ọbẹ) and vegetables (ẹfọ).

There is another type of àmàlà derived from cassava tubers and referred to as àmàlà láfún. This is commonly eaten among the Yorùbá. The cassava tubers are peeled, dried, ground and sieved to remove any shafts or lumps. This type of àmàlà will usually become a white dough when added to hot boiling water.

References

See also

• Cuisine of Nigeria
• Eba
• Fufu

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