Abacha, sometimes referred to as African Salad, is a local delicacy, made from sliced cassava, and common mostly among the southeasterners. As a delicacy rich in roughage, proteins, and a host of other nutrients, consuming Abacha has lots of benefits attached to it. Consequently, there is a market for this delicacy if you step in to prepare the Abacha for final consumers. If you think you can do that and are ready to learn how to start Abacha business in Nigeria. Read on.
How to start Abacha business in Nigeria will be discussed below:
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Learn How to Prepare Abacha
Learning how to prepare the Abacha delicacy is the first step in the process of starting Abacha business in Nigeria.
There are several options to learn how to prepare the Abacha delicacy. You can meet a chef who knows the recipe for this delicacy. Note that if you go this route of learning from a chef, you may be required to pay some money for the training.
Alternatively, you could approach an already established Abacha business owner to teach you how to prepare the delicacy. You may also be required to pay some money to receive the training.
The third option is to make use of the Internet. With lots of content creators on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, you wouldn’t have to search for too long to find a page, channel, or handle where you’d see tutorials on how to prepare Abacha.
Fortunately, we’ll be providing the steps to prepare Abacha shortly. However, you’d need the following ingredients to prepare Abacha:
- Dried shredded cassava (also known as Abacha)
- Ugba (Ukpaka)
- Palm oil
- Ground crayfish
- Goat meat (optional)
- Kpomo
- Utazi or garden egg leaves
- Dry fish
- Onion
- Salt
- Chili pepper
- Dried pepper
- Seasoning cubes
- Ogiri (fermented locust beans)
- Garden egg
- Okpeyi (local seasoning)
- Ehu seeds (Calabash nutmeg)
Now we’ve established the ingredients you need to prepare Abacha, let’s dive into the steps to prepare the dish.
Below are the steps to prepare Abacha:
- Dissolve the potash in cold water and set aside.
- Prepare a spicy sauce with goat meat. Kpomo, and dry fish.
- Soften the dried shredded cassava by soaking it in cold water or pouring boiled water over it.
- Wash Ugba/Ukpaka
- Blend Ehu seeds, Okpeyi, Ogiri, crayfish, onion, and pepper into a paste.
- Combine palm oil with the paste of blended Ehu seeds, Okpeyi, Ogiri, crayfish, onion, and pepper, and stir thoroughly.
- Add the blended mixture of Ehu seeds, Okpeyi, Ogiri, crayfish, onion, and pepper to the orange paste of palm oil and dissolved potash and stir thoroughly.
- Mix in the dried shredded cassava, Ugba/Ukpaka, seasoning cubes, dried pepper, and salt.
- Remove meat and fish from the sauce and add them to the Abacha pot.
- Stir and simmer for about a minute.
- Garnish with onion rings.
At this point, the Abacha is ready to be consumed. The entire process takes about 30 minutes to prepare.
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Select a Strategic Location for Your Abacha Business
The next step after learning how to prepare Abacha is to get a suitable location for your Abacha business. The ideal location for Abacha business should possess high foot traffic, visibility, accessibility, low competition, and proximity to your intended target market.
Markets, along busy roads and streets, and in front of relaxation centres are some examples of strategic locations for setting up your Abacha business spot.
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Buy the Necessary Equipment and Supplies for Your Abacha Business
The next step is to get the necessary equipment and supplies you need for your Abacha business. These include the ingredients for preparing the Abacha, gas cooker, takeaway packs, serving plates, plastic bowls, and cooking utensils. In addition, a plastic table and some chairs, as well as a fridge ensure that the condiments stay fresh for longer periods.
are part of what you should get for your Abacha business.
Here’s a list of the ingredients you need for your Abacha business:
- Dried shredded cassava (also known as Abacha)
- Ugba (Ukpaka)
- Palm oil
- Ground crayfish
- Goat meat (optional)
- Kpomo
- Utazi or garden egg leaves
- Dry fish
- Onion
- Salt
- Chili pepper
- Dried pepper
- Seasoning cubes
- Ogiri (fermented locust beans)
- Garden egg
- Okpeyi (local seasoning)
- Ehu seeds (Calabash nutmeg)
N/B: If you are going to be the one processing the harvested cassava into the dried shredded cassava, ensure after the cassava is peeled and sliced into thin slices, it should be soaked in water for about 20 hours to reduce the starch content and hydrogen cyanide in the cassava. Afterward, it can be washed to remove the excess starch content and hydrogen cyanide. Then, the shredded and fermented cassava should be washed the following days and sundried for 2-3 days.
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Begin Selling Abacha to Consumers
At this stage, you can begin to prepare the Abacha delicacy to sell to final consumers. You should the delicacy is tasty and appealing to the eyes to satisfy your customers.
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Promote Your Abacha Business
To make your Abacha business stand out from the competition, it is crucial to be intentional in marketing your business to potential customers.
Some marketing strategies that can help promote your Abacha business include being courteous to your customers, preparing tasty Abacha, maintaining a clean environment, offering discounts, and asking your satisfied customers to let their friends and families know you sell Abacha.
You may also use your social media handles to promote your Abacha business as well.
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Nutritional Value of Abacha
As stated earlier in this article, Abacha is highly nutritious, containing different ingredients rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins. The delicacy is rich in sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Several studies assert that Abacha may help in cellular regeneration and restoration of dead cells, as well as prevent microbial infections and other chronic diseases.