Africa, especially Nigeria, is blessed with different ethnic groups and each ethnic group has their own peculiar meal. I'm gbagyi by tribe, an indigenous people of Niger state, FCT, and Nasarawa state. The gbagyi people have different varieties of food, but my favorite among them is "Tuwo" It is made from maize, while some use millet. It can be eaten with any soup of one's choice. It can also be squashed into water and drank , it is known as zhepo in my tribe and can be drunk with garden egg, fish, meat, sugar, etc. Most children who grew up in a gbagyi community consider zhepo to be their favorite meal, not just because they grew up drinking it, but because of its many benefits.
Tuwo is made from corn flour, and a liquid extracted from ashes is added in the process of its preparation. The liquid extracted by soaking the ashes in a bowl is believe to help clean the stomach and cure certain illness, 97% of people who take zhepo during illness are believed to recover fast. Zhepo If drunk, one can keep one feeling satisfied for a longer period of time compared to other meals. A few people from other tribes who drank zhepo enjoyed it and continued drinking it whenever they were offered.
I have eaten several meals, different varieties from various ethnic groups but none reaches this one. Only people who grew up among the Gbagyi people must have come across this meal. Some people find it disgusting and wonder why we squash it into pieces in water so we can drink it but it feels different if they have a taste of it. Our old women believe they can't stay a day in a house where zhepo is not available, they have made it their major food and don't mind drinking it everyday. Zhepo is Tuwo but a squashed one in water, it can be eaten for 7 days soaked in a water.
