Cookbook:Elephant Grass
| Elephant Grass | |
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| Category | Vegetables |
Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients | Equipment | Techniques | Cookbook Disambiguation Pages | Ingredients
Elephant grass, also called Napier grass, Uganda grass, or achara, refers to Cenchrus purpureus or Pennisetum purpureum,[1] an edible grass native to African grasslands.
Characteristics
[edit | edit source]Elephant grass has a thick, rounded stalk with tinges of purple. It is somewhat similar to sugarcane in appearance.[2] The edible inner shoots are similar in both texture and mild flavor to asparagus shoots.[1]
Preparation
[edit | edit source]The young, tender shoots and leaves are the edible portion for humans,[3] and the outer layer should be peeled away to access the tender interior. Discard any part of the young shoot that is too tough to easily break into pieces.[1]
Use
[edit | edit source]The grass is typically cooked in soups and stews, especially in Igbo regions of Nigeria.[2][4]
Recipes
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b c "Ofe Achara with Akpuruakpu Egusi (Mgbam)". All Nigerian Recipes. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ↑ a b "Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) | Feedipedia". www.feedipedia.org. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ↑ "Cenchrus purpureus - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ↑ Akah, N.P.; Onweluzo, J.C. (2014). "Evaluation of Water-soluble Vitamins and Optimum Cooking Time of Fresh Edible Portions of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum purpureum L. Schumach) Shoot". Nigerian Food Journal. 32 (2): 120–127. doi:10.1016/s0189-7241(15)30127-2. ISSN 0189-7241.