Yahaya and his family love ‘Irish’. It’s what potatoes are often locally referred to as in Nigeria, and no matter where we are or what we call them, many of us would wholeheartedly agree with this love. Baked, chipped, mashed, dauphinoise-d... However you serve them, potatoes are versatile and can be served up in a multitude of delicious ways – Yahaya says his family’s favourite is to have them fried or in pottage (a kind of potato porridge).
Nutritional benefits of potatoes
Apart from being delicious, potatoes are also nutritious. They are:
- full of carbohydrates (for energy) and fibre (for digestion);
- low in fat, and also contain high-quality protein;
- rich in vitamin C (which is an antioxidant) and potassium which helps aid the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system.
Yahaya used to go to the market often to buy potatoes for his family – which includes seven children. He says it cost him a lot. ‘I felt so stressed about how to go about the purchase of Irish for the family every week,’ he tells us. ‘[I thought], if only I could find a convenient way to produce Irish myself!’
