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Roots and tubers from Nigeria

Pupuru (smoked fermented cassava balls)pupuru

Pupuru is a cassava staple of the Ilaje and other riverine peoples of south-west Nigeria. Cassava is fermented under water, the mash is pressed in sacks, picked free of fibre and moulded into balls, which are dried over a wood fire in smoke. The smoked balls are milled into flour and cooked into a swallow eaten with fish soup.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Pupuru itself.

Short entryRoots and tubers4 days – 6 days

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHousehold and village practice with no fixed amounts in the sources read.
Cassava rootsPeeled and fermented under water[ekpakpale2021]

Total time across the recorded steps: 4 days – 6 days

Start
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SugarsLactic acid

What changes: Peeled cassava ferments under water until it is soft

Step 1 of 5
Peel, cut and ferment under water
Time
4–6 days
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: soft fermented cassava.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

submerged fermentation softens the roots

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Pupuru is a cassava staple of the Ilaje and other riverine peoples of south-west Nigeria. Cassava is fermented under water, the mash is pressed in sacks, picked free of fibre and moulded into balls, which are dried over a wood fire in smoke. The smoked balls are milled into flour and cooked into a swallow eaten with fish soup. Made in 5 steps over 4 days – 6 days. The longest step, peel, cut and ferment under water, takes 4–6 days (Ekpakpale D.O 2021).

Key numbers
Main step4–6 daysReported[ekpakpale2021][businessday]Peel, cut and ferment under water

What makes this one different

Pupuru balls are dried in smoke over a wood fire, while lafun and kumkum are dried in the sun, so pupuru tastes smoky.

Related ferments

Safety

Market pupuru flour can carry aflatoxin. A study of markets in Ondo State found aflatoxins in 4 of 10 pooled pupuru samples, at 1.75 to 21 µg/kg. The top of that range passes the 10 µg/kg limit adopted in Nigeria for total aflatoxins [maduka2024]. A review reports an earlier survey of market pupuru flour in Okitipupa at 0.96 to 8.1 µg/kg, below that limit [maduka2024]. Cassava also holds compounds that release cyanide. A survey cited on this page reports 2 to 33 mg HCN equivalent/kg in smoked balls. The top of that range is above the 10 mg/kg Codex level for edible cassava flour [fsanz-p1002]. No source we read gives a time under water that brings it below that level.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus in stored pupuru balls; Aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus on market flour.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [fsanz-p1002] FSANZ, Proposal P1002, Hydrocyanic acid in ready-to-eat cassava chips, final report (gives the 10 mg/kg level in the Codex standard for edible cassava flour)gov
  2. [ekpakpale2021] Ekpakpale D.O., Kraak B., Meijer M., Ayeni K.I., Houbraken J., Ezekiel C.N. 2021, Fungal diversity and aflatoxins in maize and rice grains and cassava-based flour (pupuru) from Ondo State, Nigeria, Journal of Fungi 7(8):635paper
  3. [maduka2024] Maduka N., Ugbogu O.C. 2024, A review on microorganisms and mycotoxin contamination of selected 'swallow meals', potential health risks to consumers, Heliyon 10(20):e39311 (citing Teniola et al. on stored pupuru balls)paper
  4. [shittu2003] Shittu et al. 2003, Processing technology of pupuru, a survey of practices and production quality in the South West of Nigeria, ASSET Series B (FUNAAB); site in maintenance in 2026-10web
  5. [businessday] BusinessDay Nigeria, Obe aselu asepo ati pupuruweb