Facts About Kuli-kuli
Kuli-kuli refers to a West African snack that is primarily made from peanuts. First made by the Nupe People of West Africa it is a popular snack in Nigeria, Benin, northern Cameroon and Ghana. It is often eaten alone or with a mixture of garri also known as cassava flakes, sugar and water popularly called "garri soakings". It is also eaten with Hausa koko, fura, kamu; and is sometimes ground and put into salad. It is often ground as used as an ingredient for Suya and Kilishi.
Kuli-kuli is a by product of processing raw peanuts into peanut oil. The market value of peanuts is determined by how much oil it can produce. To increase the amount of oil obtained kuli-kuli is made.
Ghanaian Kuli-Kuli
Kuli kuli (a groundnut/peanut cake) in Ghana just like in many parts of West Africa is a common crispy snack. The ingredients and shapes used however is not universal throughout the country. In the northern part of the country especially among the Mole-Dagomba people, Kuli kuli is made from the residue gotten from groundnuts during the extraction of groundnut oil It is mostly found in the Zongo communities in Ghana.
Preparation
To make kuli-kuli, peanuts are roasted and then ground into a paste called "Labu". The paste is then mixed with spices, salt, and sometimes ground pepper, and occasionally sugar. The paste is stripped of excess oil with water, and made into the desired shape (round balls, cylinders, etc.). Adding potash to the oil increases the boiling point of the oil. This results in oil being extracted from the kuli-kuli so that you have more liquid oil than when you began. Thus heated and fried the shaped peanut paste begins to solidify and harden. It is then removed from the oil and allowed to cool down until ready to be eaten. It has a very long shelf life and is often given to children as a treat or sold in taxi parks by teenage girls to hungry travelers.
But this process also serves a decisive economic purpose. A bulky 100 kilo bag of peanuts will produce 4 gallons of pure peanut oil. Going to market the bulky bag of peanuts will fill and overflow the trunk of a taxi. The haulage cost will be steep. A four gallon tin of oil will ride on the floor boards between the sellers feet. There will be no extra charge. But both items will fetch the same amount.
All aspects of producing and selling the peanut oil and kuli-kuli is 'woman's work'. Quite often women grow the crop, extract and refine the oil, produce the kuli-kuli, carry it to the market, and sell it. In many cultural groups this is 'her money' to spend as she deems fit. A man growing peanuts is more likely to sell his entire crop of 100 kilo bags wholesale. The wholesaler will be responsible for transportation.
Health Benefits
It contains proteins because of the peanuts from which it is made. It also contains Magnesium, Phosphorus and Vitamin E.
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