Fura (food)

Fura or doonu is a type of food originating from West Africa's Sahel region and that is popular among the Zarma-Songhai, Fulani and Hausa peoples of the Sahel.^[1][2] It is a millet dough ball, with "fura" meaning millet ball. It is also eaten in Niger and Ghana.^[3] The millet is ground into a powdered form, rolled and molded into balls, then mashed and mixed with Nono - a fermented milk.^[4][5] The combination of fura and nono is known as Fura Da Nono, a locally-made drink that contains carbohydrate and fiber.^[6] The fura food and the fura da nono drink are popular in Northern Nigeria. They are served on special occasions and as a meal in the afternoon.^[7][8]

Fura

A Fulani woman preparing fura da nono
Place of origin	Sahel
Region or state	West Africa
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Millet
Media: Fura

Preparation

A Fulani woman preparing Fura

Ingredients

• Ground millet or Guinea corn^[9]
• Ground peppers
• Dried ground chili
• Dried ground ginger
• Ground cloves
• Salt to taste^[10]
• Sugar

Steps in preparation

1. The first thing is to wash the millet and remove the peels.
2. Then it is dried and ground, along with Dried ginger, cloves, and chili pepper making it powdered form.
3. Salt to taste is added to the mixture before it is poured into a mortar and pounded while water is sprinkled gradually to form a dough.^[11]
4. This is then molded into the desired shapes, usually ball shapes.
5. The dough can also be poured into a bowl and covered with a leaf overnight for it to ferment.
6. The balls are cooked in a pot, then pounded, and sprinkled with water again.
7. The dough is pounded until it becomes very soft.
8. The paste can then be shaped into balls.^[12]
9. It is dusted with millet or corn flour to prevent the fura from sticking together.^[10]

Commercialization in Nigeria

Fura, popularly known in Nigeria as Fura da Nono, which was once seen as a local meal, has gradually evolved into a growing enterprise that involves modernized processing methods and production.^[8]