The primary basic need of man is food.  It is difficult to
remember when man started thinking of how to produce food for himself.  He is busy in the modern era thinking of how to adapt old forms into new ones for his convenience  in a world where time , space and comfort are important in several ways.  The old consciousness of food processing is still relevant in time and space for food that is not convenient to carry to far distances.  This has given rise to foods that are packaged and sold in stores which are convenient to carry for far distances without  making one’s clothes or bags messy.
The first traditional way of processing cassava is harvesting tubers of cassava when they are mature.  They are peeled, washed and grounded in machine or the equivalent of zinc cut into a square form, punctured at equal intervals – small tiny holes looking like spiked shoes.  The meshed form of the cassava is put into a bag and tied, placed on a long branch of any tree prepared for the  purpose , another one is placed across it and tied.   Another one is placed beneath and another one placed above it and tied.  The bag of cassava is retied for three days until it is dry.  The powder form is put into a sieve; the chaff is separated from the substance and fried in a big pot.  How our forbears got the idea of garri preparation is not known.  The consciousness is with us; we believe that if we miss the steps garri made will not be good for consumption and we might take ill.
Fufu is prepared differently.  Tubers of cassava are uprooted, cut into slices washed thoroughly and taken either to a waterside and kept in a hole pending when they shall be soft; the outer layer covering each slice is removed, a sieve is placed over a bag.  Flour percolates beneath the bag while the waste forms sediments in the sieve.  The other method is the modern type of the former; the outer layer of the cassava is removed and the slices put into a basin and left for fermentation to take place.  The work of sieving is done; fufu is made through this process.  The texture of this form is softer than garri.
Few tubers of cassava are uprooted, peeled and sliced into tiny slices; they are boiled and soaked in water for a while.  They are eaten with fresh fish, coconut or groundnuts.
Garri is exported in its dry form.  It is refined and packaged as flour for those in countries where garri is not produced.  This is the modern consciousness borne out of the necessity to reach indigenes of tropical countries where cassava is planted and processed and those who wish to consume it beyond their countries.
Yam is another staple food in most African countries.   It is boiled and eaten with stew or a local sauce of pepper and salt.  It could be pounded and eaten with fresh fish pepper soup or any other soup.   It is roasted and eaten with pea or fish.  These are the major ways yam is eaten.
Modern consciousness has demanded the need for packaging the food in a convenient form for travellers and metropolitan dwellers to buy.  This has produced yam flour manufactured for easy consumption.  This type is sold within Nigeria, African countries, Europe, America and other countries and continents in the world.
Corn is one of the popular meals of Africans eaten in different ways.  It may be roasted and eaten with pea or fish.  It could also be eaten with coconut.  Corn has been produced in modern forms suitable for rural and urban dwellers.  One finds pub-corn and cornflakes as foods in stores.  These have been manufactured from the modern consciousness of man who is pitted against time, space and many schedules.  These are not only convenient for non-farmers but farmers who could use them out of season.  This last point is responsible for the continuous search for the production of foods for preservation out of season.
Plantain is the last example chosen for the demonstration of the urgent need for brains to be at work for the use of different foodstuffs for the production of foods out-of-season.  Its essence is to prevent food scarcity and make foods available in stores all round the year.  Plantain is boiled and eaten with stew or palm oil.  It could be boiled, pounded and eaten with fresh fish pepper soup or any other soups.
Plantain flour is found in major stores in most cities of Nigeria and other countries.  This is the modern form which is easy to ship and export to various countries in the world.  Local factories produce plantain chips which could last for about a week.  They have tried but the need arises to think of how to make this type last for a longer duration of time.
Banana is of the family of plantain.  There is now banana custard. This is a modern innovation which has brought about the production of egg and banana custard.  This is the outcome of modern consciousness to satisfy people who could carry the product to any destinations.
In conclusion, foodstuffs could be adapted to suit the contemporary period.  There are food companies, researchers and scholars who are constantly thinking of different ways of preserving food, processing foodstuffs into foods for consumption.  The modern society is different from the old one which had much time; also most persons were farmers.  Specialization has taken place.  This has helped tremendously to improve knowledge for the development of humanity.  The bulk of work lies with agricultural scholars, government, private sponsors and companies; these could work together to produce food for preservation all round the year as well as foods for consumption all round the year.
Ngaage, from the Department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts, Niger Delta, University, Bayelsa State.

Barine Ngaage