Fufu facts for kids

Fufu is a popular food from West Africa. It's made by pounding starchy plants like yam or cassava. Many people around the world enjoy eating fufu. It tastes a bit like mashed potatoes with butter.

How Fufu is Made

To make fufu, you start with boiled pieces of cassava or other root vegetables. These pieces are put into a large wooden mortar. Then, they are pounded with a big wooden pestle.

While pounding, someone turns the mixture by hand. Water is slowly added until the mix becomes soft and sticky. This sticky mixture is then shaped into a ball or a round flat piece. Finally, it is ready to be served.

Making fufu by hand can be a lot of work. Luckily, there are now special machines called Fufu Machines. These machines make preparing fufu much easier and faster!

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  A wooden pestle and mortar used for pounding fufu.

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  A fufu machine being used by a food vendor.

Images for kids

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  Making fufu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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  A plate of pounded yam, also known as Iyan.

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  Pounding of fufu in Ghana.

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  A plate of fufu (on the right) served with peanut soup.

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  Fufu (on the left) and palm nut soup (on the right).

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  A close-up of fufu.

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  Fufu being sold on the street in Lagos, Nigeria.

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  Fufu wrapped and ready to be eaten.

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  Preparing fufu in Togo.

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  Freshly pounded fufu.

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  Fufu from Ghana.

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  Ghanaian fufu with light soup, goat meat, and smoked fish.

See also

In Spanish: Fufu para niños