MKPA-IFIA AND I - OUR RELATIONSHIP IS COMPLICATED
About Mkpa-ifia |
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Mkpa-ifia(a specific species of mushroom) is a fungus. In a biology class you can regard it as Kingdom fungi uncles. But in the kitchen, it's a vegetable, cause some of it health benefits are the same with vegetables and it's treated like vegetables when added to a meal.
How They're Hunted And Processed For Consumption |
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Mkpa-ifia mushroom is not available all year round; you can't get them in any season you want. Their season is in late March through April in Nigeria. This specie of mushroom grows naturally on farms, it's not planted. They're unwanted weeds but useful and edible; that's why you can just walk into someone's farm and harvest them.
| After a handful |
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I usually go hunting for it in the morning with my sibling. Others prefer in the evening, and some get it when they go to the farm. We carry our container and off we go, when we gathered a handful, we head back home with a smile. It's always fun😊
Getting rid of the excess sand and wash thoroughly
| Wash until it's sparkling clean, all dirt gone |
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Now that we're home, we first get rid of the excess sand on the mkpa-ifia. After that, we wash them thoroughly in water until it's sparkling clean and the dirt is gone. Then put them in a pot and season with pepper, salt, onions and bouillon cube or any other seasoning of your choice. Let them steam for a while before adding a little water because they're naturally watery. To avoid making it too watery, let it steam without water first. Then check if it needs water. Depending on the quantity, they may not.
| Steam in pot with seasoning of your choice |
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After this process, your mkpa-ifia meal is ready for consumption. You can now use it to prepare stew, sauce, soup and other meal of your choice.
Health Benefits of Mkpa-ifia |
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Though mkpa-ifia lacks chlorophyll that give vegetables their green colour, it has many of the same health benefits with vegetables: low calorie, fiber, helps boost immune system and others. On the other hand, mkpa-ifia also contain unique content vegetables don't have, like Vitamin D and others.
Research shows:"Mushrooms naturally contain a compound called ergosterol that can turn into vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. This means sun-exposed mushrooms can become a strong plant-based source of vitamin D"
My Relationship with Mkpa-ifia |
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Mkpa-ifia meal is enjoyed by majority of Akwa Ibom State people and other states in Nigeria. I said "majority" because I'm one of the minority who doesn't like its aroma nor its taste, I can't really tell why! Though I don't enjoy eating it, I love hunting for my family because the loves the meal, so I hunt it for them 🥰
Over the past years I have tried preparing mkpa-ifia in different ways to see if I will learn to enjoy it:
- Used it to make stew
- Fried it with palm oil (added a lot of onions)
- I fried it with curry masala ('curry masala' is a blend of different natural herbs/spices), thinking the spice combo would change the aroma and taste. Yes it did to the aroma but the taste and texture was still same. I still can't eat it😒
My Conclusion |
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Mkpa-ifia mushroom is enjoyed by many Nigerian. We have many species on earth. Many do grow naturally while others are cultivated. Whichever way, if you got to eat prepared mushroom meal, have in mind the health benefits that comes with it, it's same with vegetables and even more beneficial than vegetables because it has other unique nutrients that most vegetables don't have.