Residents in Tema are gradually shifting from the traditional way of pounding fufu and are embracing the fufu machine.

Patrons argue that the machine does all the work of the mortar and pestle to produce the fufu they are used to without spending “so much time and energy” pounding and sweating in pursuit of a culinary desire.

The fufu machine, which mashes the boiled root crops within few minutes depending on the quantity of stuff to be mashed, works similarly like a corn mill.

It has a funnel-like opening at the top where the stuffs are poured whiles an attendant pushes the items with a stick into the machine to be mashed and then piped out of an opening below.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency to one of the several fufu machine centres in the Metropolis at Tema Community 7 on New Year’s Day revealed a coiling queue of different sizes of containers containing boiled cassava, yam, cocoyam or plantain to be “pounded”.

Some of the residents made up of men, women and children from communities 4, 7, 8, 9 and beyond who were there to make their fufu, said they had been in the queue for more than two hours and awaiting their turn.

Madam Victoria Afrakuma, a resident told the GNA that she used to patronize eateries whenever she wanted to eat fufu since she could not pound herself.

Madam Afrakuma said none of her children was prepared to help her pound the fufu therefore the establishment of “Mama’s Fufu Machine” in Community 7 about seven months ago had solved her dilemma.

She praised the machine, noting that the end product tasted exactly if not better than the traditionally pounded fufu, adding that the machine-pounded fufu was very smooth without lumps compared to the one pounded at home.

She said “to pound your fufu in the machine, one must ensure that the boiled cassava is left to cool off or hardened to avoid it sticking in the machine”.

As to whether she was not afraid of any health implications in pounding the fufu with the machine, Madam Afrakuma said the fufu always comes out of the machine hot making it safe for consumption.

Operators of the machine at Community 7 told the GNA that an average of 20 people patronize their service on an ordinary day while over 100 persons visit the place during festivities.

Depending on the quantity of the stuff to be pounded, one can pay as low as one Ghana cedi to get his or her fufu ready in a few minutes.

Fufu is a thick paste obtained after pounding one or a combination of boiled yam, cassava, plantain and cocoyam in a mortar with a pestle and turning with the hand to obtain the desired texture. It is served with any of the traditional Ghanaian soups.