Pounded Yam: An African Dish

Pounded yam is smooth dough of mashed yam often eaten with a vegetable soup or stew. It is sometimes called “Iyan”. It is much like mashed potatoes, but smoother, heavier, and tastier. Pounded yam is classified as a special delicacy and highly prestigious meal all over Africa. Traditionally, pounded yam is made by boiling yams in a pot, and once cooked; it is placed in a mortar and pounded or beaten into smooth textured dough with a three – five foot tall pestle. Thanks to modern technology: there are now a couple of ways now to ease the preparation of pounded yam. One way is by slicing yam into small sizes, have them pealed and place in a yam pounder. The other way is even easier and popular especially outside Africa.

This involves yam been processed into a dried powder (dehydrated yam flour) either by sun drying yam or commercially using desiccating machines. All you need to do is sprinkle the yam flour into a pot of boiling water and stir the mixture until you obtain your desired texture, then you allow this to cook for a few minutes. A meal of pounded yam with vegetable soup provides a very rich and balanced diet. Yam in itself has been hailed as one of the most nutritious food known to man. Apart from been rich in fiber, protecting the bowel against diseases like diverticulitis, it is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, and phosphorus. Yam also is rich in protei