Fufu to you too buddy!

[gfron1]

I have fufu flower, now what can I do with it? Its basically plantain powder "that's used around the world."

[lperry]

Fufu typically refers to pounded starchy pastes that are made into a sort of mashed-potato-like or porridge-y substance in parts of Africa or in areas colonized by these Africans. (Although you probably knew that.) You pretty much have a box of instant mashed plantains.

Cook it up and make something interesting to pour over it. Alternatively, you can look up recipes for mofongo from Puerto Rico. That would be plantain fufu with stuff in it instead of on top of it.

Edited to say parts of Africa, because Africa is really big.

Edited July 22, 2008 by lperry (log)

[markemorse]

I've seen a Surinamese recipe that serves fufu with dried cod and a peanut soup, I'll see if I can dig up some more info. Here's a BBC article about fufu flour's benefits to modern Ghanaians...

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[Abra]

I've always thought that fufu was manioc!

[lperry]

From what I understand, traditionally fufu was made from yams - members of the genus Dioscorea, not Ipomoea. More recently as manioc farming has replaced traditional yam farming, often due to deteriorating soil conditions or desertification, it is used. Manioc was originally domesticated in South America and was imported to Africa.