Kokoro (snack food)
Encyclopedia
Kokoro is a common snack food in Nigeria
. It is made from a paste of maize
flour mixed with sugar and gari
(cassava
) or yam
flour and deep-fried.
In a 1991 study of foods sold to schoolchildren in Lagos
, samples of kokoro were bought from the stalls and subjected to microbiological analysis. Ten different types of bacteria were isolated, including bacteria associated with food poisoning and diarrhea, pointing to the need to improve control of hygiene in their preparation, and to look for ways to extend shelf life.
In a study that aimed to find a version with improved nutrition value, it was found that de-fatted soybean
or groundnut
cake flour could be used, but the taste and texture were not acceptable at more than 10% of the total flour.
Another nutritionally improved snack derived from kokoro was developed by extrusion cooking of different mixes of maize, soybean and condiments such as pepper, onion, salt, palm oil, plantain and banana.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. It is made from a paste of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
flour mixed with sugar and gari
Garri
Garri is a popular West African food made from cassava tubers. The spelling 'garri' is mainly used in Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and 'gari' in Ghana....
(cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
) or yam
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
flour and deep-fried.
In a 1991 study of foods sold to schoolchildren in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, samples of kokoro were bought from the stalls and subjected to microbiological analysis. Ten different types of bacteria were isolated, including bacteria associated with food poisoning and diarrhea, pointing to the need to improve control of hygiene in their preparation, and to look for ways to extend shelf life.
In a study that aimed to find a version with improved nutrition value, it was found that de-fatted soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
or groundnut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
cake flour could be used, but the taste and texture were not acceptable at more than 10% of the total flour.
Another nutritionally improved snack derived from kokoro was developed by extrusion cooking of different mixes of maize, soybean and condiments such as pepper, onion, salt, palm oil, plantain and banana.