gari

Gari (also spelled garri) is from Yoruba or from West African Pidgin English — the exact origin is disputed. The product is made from cassava: the root is peeled, grated, fermented in sacks for two to four days to remove cyanide, pressed to extract liquid, sieved, and roasted in large iron pans. The result is dry, crunchy granules that can be stored for months without refrigeration. Gari is one of the most efficient ways to convert cassava into food.

Cassava arrived in West Africa from Brazil via Portuguese traders in the sixteenth century. Within three centuries, it became the dominant staple crop across tropical Africa. Gari emerged as the most practical processed form — the fermentation removes the poisonous cyanogenic glucosides naturally present in cassava, and the roasting creates a dry product that does not spoil. The technology is elegant: a poisonous root becomes safe, storable food through a process that requires no equipment beyond a grater, a sack, and a pan.

In Nigeria, gari is the most consumed cassava product. It is eaten in multiple forms: soaked in cold water with sugar, milk, or groundnuts as a drink (gari soakings); cooked with hot water into a stiff paste called eba; or eaten dry as a snack. 'Gari soakings' is a cultural institution among Nigerian students — cheap, filling, and requiring no cooking. The phrase 'I dey soak garri' is Nigerian pidgin for 'I am getting by,' 'I am surviving on very little.'

Nigeria is the world's largest producer of cassava, producing approximately 60 million tonnes annually. A significant portion becomes gari. The product is traded across West Africa and exported to diaspora communities worldwide. In London's Peckham and Brixton markets, gari is a staple item. The granules travel well — they were designed to survive.