The word, gurasa means bread in Hausa Language. It is so popular a snack in Kano that the state is known as the land of gurasa. Interestingly, this snack is not indigenous to Kano or northern Nigeria for that matter. It was allegedly introduced into Kano by immigrants from Saudi Arabia who settled in some parts of the ancient city of Kano some two hundred years ago.
History has it that these immigrants continued to produce their homemade bread in Kano. The locals fell in love with this bread and incorporated it into their menu. In the 1970s, it became a meal reserved for the royals and elites of Kano. Later on, this snack became the food for all. It is worthy of note that during festivities and wedding fatihas in Kano, special guests are served gurasa.
Gurasa is a flat bread made from flour, yeast, baking powder and egg. It can be made with all purpose flour, whole wheat flour or a combination of the two. It is similar to making bread, however, the dough for gurasa is lighter than that of bread. Gurasa can either be fried or baked using a locally made oval earthenware pot known as tanderu. When fried, it becomes circular while the edges become brownish. It becomes tough if exposed to air or kept for more than three days after production.
There are two major types of gurasa, the local one and the special one. The local one is the one which is made in adherence to the original recipe for this food. The special gurasa, on the other hand, is a product of the evolving creativity in food craft. It is prepared with some extra ingredients that are absent in the local one. The result is that there are different varieties of the special one. These include the milky, salty and sugary varieties as well as varieties with vegetables or spice garnishing. One can therefore deduce that the defining factor in classifying this meal is the method of preparation. As can be expected, the extra additions in the special gurasa make it more expensive than the local one.
Gurasa can also be eaten with such soups as miyan taushe or romo. It can also be enjoyed with accompaniments like suya, tea, meat, fried egg and even kuli kuli.
Sources:
Yusha’u A. Ibrahim, “Gurasa everywhere: Bizwomen behind Kano’s iconic delicacy” Daily Trust, 6th January, 2018.
Leadership Newspaper, “Delight of Masa, Gurasa and Fura Da Nono,” 16th September,2017.
Arewa Cafeteria
Featured image source: _herbed – Instagram
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