I used to enjoy the local Ghanaian dish, Gob3 (Beans and Gari) until the quality of the food changed.
The last time I bought Gob3, it was a terrible experience because the taste of the palm oil used for the food was bad.
My mouth was itchy and sticky the entire day. One can hardly get freshly made palm oil or zomi on the market to enjoy a special Gob3.
A lot of the food vendors have resorted to using other cooking oils for the dish which is not the usual for many.
Gob3, also known as “Red red” is a Ghanaian food made of Gari and beans, so the name “Gob3” is a combination of Gari and beans.
Gob3 is usually the combination of Beans, Gari, palm oil, ripe plantains, and preferably pepper sauce.
The dish was once considered one of the cheapest foods in Ghana and could keep one full for long hours.
Beans are high in protein and help in maintaining and repairing the body.
Gari (garri) is a fine to coarse granular flour of varying textures made from cassava roots.
These days gob3 is garnished with all kinds of vegetables and spices, for instance, avocado pear, eggs, and tomatoes.
Aside from the fact that people are complaining about the increase in the price of the dish, so is the quality of palm oil used.
Due to the reddish color of the dish, it takes on from palm oil (zomi) and fried plantain, the dish is also called “red-red”.
Zomi or cooking palm fruit oil is made by boiling ripened and already harvested palm nut fruit in a big pot for about 40 minutes until it becomes soft and tender.
The cooked fruits are scooped into a big mortar and gently squashed with a pestle, avoiding damaging the nut, but only to squeeze out the juice on the covering pulp.
Once this is done, the juice obtained is filtered to remove the shaft.
The uncooked fresh oil would be seen floating on top of the juice which is scooped off into yet another pot and then boiled into fresh oil.
The fresh oil from palm fruit is one of the main ingredients for preparing Gob3 even though some resort to other cooking oil.
The oil is also used in preparing all local Ghanaian stew or sauce.
Palm oil helps in protecting the body against diseases like cancer, and helps maintain good skin and fertility.
It is also rich in vitamin A which helps in ensuring good vision and preventing night blindness and many other types of eye problems.
One of the places to get the best palm oil for your cooking is the Volta Region of Ghana.
The production process is made manually and provided in a very fresh state.
So to all the food lovers, aside from the fact that the price of a plate of Gob3 has gone up, do you still enjoy it? What do you think about the quality of it?