Fufu, Ghana and US relations

After a hard day’s work, two sisters, Naa Dei and Tsotsoo, unanimously state their longing for fufu but their challenge is that they are so very tired they feel they are not up to the task of preparing that meal.

However, after Tsotsoo, the younger of the two, manages to go and buy some cassava and plantain, the dream of having some fufu for lunch becomes a reality as there is already some left over light soup in the fridge.

In no time the fufu is ready and they enjoy a sumptuous meal – The only snag was, because the cassava was not so good, their third sister and second daughter of six siblings, Kuokor, who was out of the house could not be left some of the fufu.

Such is the like or better still, the love for fufu, that he or she that eats it must eat to the fill, otherwise it will not be worth the toil invested in its preparation. And if you are found not to like fufu, those who eat it will always say “You don’t know what you are missing” or literally, “You don’t know food that is nice.”

Even though fufu may have been in the news lately for the wrong reason – as a conduit for trafficking of marijuana, according to some news reports, it still stays top of Ghana’s gastronomic list. Fufu is synonymous with Ghana, and Ghana is synonymous with fufu, whichever way one chooses to look at it.

It is however amazing that fufu, which is prepared with a lot of effort and is largely preferred with light soup but also goes well with palm nut, groundnut and cocoyam leaf soup (kontomire) indigenously referred to as ‘abunu abunu’, among others, is no more the preserve of Ghanaians but widely accepted and sought after by other nationals all around the world.

This is notwithstanding the fact that most foreign nationals rather chew or munch their fufu, instead of swallowing it whole piece by piece with a sizeable amount of soup, as is the right way to chomp through.

In short, if one visits Ghana or gets into contact with a Ghanaian anywhere around the world and does not sample the now widely-known fufu, then that person cannot say he or she has indeed sampled Ghanaian food, which is largely recommended by many non-Ghanaians even after their first encounter, for its mouthwatering variety and palatable taste.

Now, what is fufu or ‘fufuo’ as the originators of that meal, the Ashantis of Ghana, would call it? It is akin to the Nigerian pounded yam, because it is also pounded – Some like it soft and others like it hard. Unlike the pounded yam though, it is mostly made from cassava and plantain, although cocoyam and yam have also been added over time.

Fufu is prepared by pounding cassava with a pestle (a special heavy stick with a beaten mouth to allow smooth squashing or mashing of the cassava) in a mortar. Plantain, but not just any plantain but the big ones locally referred to as ‘apentu’ in Akan, is also pounded in the mortar, after which the two pounded stuff are pounded together for a smooth mix.

Some prefer to pound the plantain before the cassava, but most people pound the cassava or yam first, while cocoyam is often pounded alone – that is, without plantain. Cassava or yam with plantain fufu finishes a pale yellow colour depending on the quality of both, while the cocoyam ends up a fine mauve colour.

Fufu is best eaten right after it is prepared, although it can keep for long hours provided there is a higher quantity of plantain in the mix, and especially if a little salt is added when mixing the pounded plantain with the pounded cassava – not when boiling or cooking!

Easier said than done though, as the end result of favourite fufu, which has not only been embraced by all tribes in Ghana but nationals of other countries the world over, comes with perspiration and most times determination, as it requires a lot of effort to get it done.

Not only that – whoever is elected to pound the fufu must be experienced, so as to be able to marsh the cassava very well, in order for it not to end up with lumps and also not smash the fingers of the one turning the cassava or plantain in the mortar. There have been and still are incidences of such accidents in people’s bid to eat their cherished fufu.

The one turning the cassava, yam, cocoyam, plantain or the combination of any two of them must also be dexterous so as to be able to guide the pounder and thus prevent lumps in the end product and also be able to dodge any smashing of the fingers if the one pounding is a novice.

Fufu is preferred mostly at the weekends, especially on Sundays when there will be enough time for its rigorous preparation and eaten in earthen ware locally called ‘asanka’ or in a deep bowl – the deeper the bowl, the bigger the fufu can be and the more soup one can get to eat the fufu with.

Let’s talk about the soup – without it the fufu is not complete and in fact after all the laborious preparation of the fufu, if the soup is not delicious or prepared well, the fufu will not be enjoyed.

With the exception of light soup, which can be goat meat or chicken (these two must not be mixed – it must be either of the two) or assorted – beef, cow knee locally referred to as ‘kotogwe’ fish  and other marine species which comparatively takes a shorter time to prepare, the processes for palm nut soup especially, but groundnut and ‘abunu abunu’ take longer.

It is in view of the importance of fufu in the gastronomic list of Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians alike, that there have been attempts to simplify preparation with the introduction of powdered cassava, plantain and the like, so fufu can be eaten at all cost, despite a person’s geographical limitation or location.

But just as any form of drink is unable to quench the thirst of a thirsty soul, the powdered versions which require just some hot water and stirring are unable to assuage the fufu hunger of millions of people, no matter what the advertising gimmicks are.

For such people, even the thud! thud! (more like tum tum) sound of fufu being pounded, the sound of a pestle hitting the inside of a mortar and the perspiration of the one pounding the fufu, serve as salivating agents and appetisers for a good and satisfying meal of fufu.

Fufu has indeed become a way of life for most Ghanaians and especially Ashantis, that it is common to hear one say ‘today I have not eaten’ when in fact the maker of the statement means he or she has not tasted or eaten fufu that day.

For some, it can be eaten at any time of the day, including very late at night, midnight or in the wee hours of the morning – so long as it is pounded fufu, it will not be allowed to go waste.

It is thus not surprising that in looking for a way to describe the United States’ very fruitful relations with Ghana after his four-year term as US Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Donald Teitelbaum (who has a Ga name Tei starting his surname), chose fufu to speak for him.

Indicating that relations between the two countries is synonymous with fufu, H.E. Teitelbaum said; “Not long after I arrived, I came to the conclusion that Ghana and America, that Ghanaians and Americans have a special relationship, but it was only last year at the opening of the Ashesi University campus, that I was able to define and articulate that relationship.”

“At first, I thought that when you put Americans and Ghanaians together, you often achieve a certain synergy – a situation which the whole is greater than the sum of its part. But during a rather bumpy trip to the Asheshi University College, I came to realise that the perfect metaphor for our relationship is fufu,” he added, which drew laughter from the guests at the US’ 236th Independence Anniversary celebration marked at the US embassy in Accra, Ghana on June 28, 2012.

“Fufu is therefore plantain and cassava – both are good things on their own, but when you combine them and add both inspiration and perspiration, in particular a heavy dose of pounding, the result is completely new and very special … so then America and Ghana are like plantain and cassava – They are both very good on their own, but when you put it together and add a little inspiration and a wild perspiration, we often create great new things together,” H.E. Teitelbaum said.

Citing the Peace Corps which recently marked its 50th anniversary as one of such fruitful relationships between Ghana and America, he described it as a Ghanaian – American fufu.

“Peace Corps is a fine institution, Ghana is a great country, but together, I believe that American Peace Corps volunteers and their Ghanaian hosts have created something new and something special,” the outgoing ambassador stated.

Mentioning jazz music as another type of Ghanaian – American fufu, H.E. Teitelbaum, explained that the music genre is a combination of African and American traditions which travels back and forth in confidence, entertaining and inspiring on both sides.

“When jazz great Louis Armstrong visited the Gold Coast Colony in 1956 as a jazz ambassador, he dedicated his performance of Black and Blue, to Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah,” he said, stating “I still can’t get over the irony of ‘Sachimo’, an African American jazz ambassador representing then segregated America dedicating a protest song against racism to an anti-colonial leader.” “That, my friends and colleagues, is a Ghanaian – American fufu,” he stressed.

“When Sachimo was here, he saw a woman who looked so much like his long deceased mother  and he said ‘I came from here way back and these are my people there, and now I know this is my country too’ – That’s fufu,” the ambassador said.

“Ghana’s independence inspired Rev. Martin Luther King jnr. In his fight for civil rights in America. In March 1957, Rev. Martin Luther King jnr. and his wife  Jennie Celeste King attended Ghana’s independence ceremony and while in Ghana he told listeners; ‘This event, the first of this new nation, will be an impetus for oppressed peoples all over the world. I think it will have worldwide implications and repercussions, not only for Asia and Africa, but also for America. It renews my conviction to the ultimate prime success,” Donald Teitelbaum quoted.

He added that the Rev. Martin Luther King jnr., pointedly told then American Vice President Nixon who was present that he looked forward to a time when visitors down in Alabama, will experience the same kind of freedom the Gold Coast was celebrating, stating, “But that friend and colleague, I think is truly a Ghanaian – American fufu.”

The outgoing US ambassador thanked all who had made his four year stay in Ghana and that of his wife Julianna and daughter she referred to as Nana Adjoa, special, with  particular reference to the over 650 Ghanaian and American staff at the embassy, development professionals and drivers among others and hoped the same courtesies will be extended his successor Gene A. Cretz.

But will Ambassador Gene A. Cretz also love fufu like his predecessor? Well, only time will tell. With a little patience he may join the bandwagon.

By Edmund Smith-Asante