Nigerian Chef Turns Local Crop Into Healthy Pasta
2022-08-20
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1During a 2020 COVID lockdown in Lagos, Nigeria, chef Renee Chuks began experimenting with a new pasta recipe.
2Usually pasta is made from wheat.
3But instead of wheat, Chuks used crops grown locally, like cassava and plantain, as her pasta base.
4Now, she sells the dried food in health food stores and online.
5She named her business Aldente Africa.
6She says it is among the first in Nigeria to make gluten-free pasta.
7Chuks is part of an international movement to avoid gluten, a protein found in some grains, including wheat.
8Many people seek wheat substitutes because gluten can create health problems.
9Cassava is one such substitute for wheat. It is a root vegetable rich in minerals and Vitamin C.
10Nigeria is one of the world's biggest producers of cassava.
11Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains.
12Humans digestive systems cannot break down gluten completely.
13While this is not a problem for most people, some people get sick from undigested gluten.
14One example is an autoimmune response to gluten called celiac disease. Celiac can damage the small intestine.
15However, Chuks has other goals besides avoiding gluten.
16She says Africa should use more locally grown crops to help improve food security on the continent.
17African countries, she adds, need to consider the foods they eat every day --- like cassava.
18Chuks said, "We figured, let's start with that. If we are able to get good success with cassava then everything else will follow."
19The chef also found that plantain and the small grain fonio works well for pasta-making.
20She adds local herbs and vegetables for taste and color.
21Some of her pastas are green or pink.
22Chuk's company also produces wines made from hibiscus plants, as well as herbs for cooking.
23I'm Anna Matteo.
1During a 2020 COVID lockdown in Lagos, Nigeria, chef Renee Chuks began experimenting with a new pasta recipe. Usually pasta is made from wheat. But instead of wheat, Chuks used crops grown locally, like cassava and plantain, as her pasta base. 2Now, she sells the dried food in health food stores and online. She named her business Aldente Africa. She says it is among the first in Nigeria to make gluten-free pasta. 3Chuks is part of an international movement to avoid gluten, a protein found in some grains, including wheat. Many people seek wheat substitutes because gluten can create health problems. 4Cassava is one such substitute for wheat. It is a root vegetable rich in minerals and Vitamin C. Nigeria is one of the world's biggest producers of cassava. 5Gluten is a protein found in wheat and some other grains. Humans digestive systems cannot break down gluten completely. While this is not a problem for most people, some people get sick from undigested gluten. One example is an autoimmune response to gluten called celiac disease. Celiac can damage the small intestine. 6However, Chuks has other goals besides avoiding gluten. She says Africa should use more locally grown crops to help improve food security on the continent. African countries, she adds, need to consider the foods they eat every day --- like cassava. 7Chuks said, "We figured, let's start with that. If we are able to get good success with cassava then everything else will follow." 8The chef also found that plantain and the small grain fonio works well for pasta-making. She adds local herbs and vegetables for taste and color. Some of her pastas are green or pink. 9Chuk's company also produces wines made from hibiscus plants, as well as herbs for cooking. 10I'm Anna Matteo. 11Angela Ukomadu reported this story for Reuters News Agency. Anna Matteo adapted her story for VOA Learning English. 12________________________________________________________________ 13chef - n. a skilled professional cook 14pasta - n. a dough of flour, eggs, and water made in different shapes and dried or used fresh 15recipe - n. a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) by combining various things 16digestion - n. the body's process or power of changing food into simpler forms that can be taken up and used : digestive - adj. relating to or functioning in digestion 17herb - n. a plant or plant part used in medicine or in seasoning foods 18wine - n. an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of grapes 19________________________________________________________________ 20We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 21We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 22Write your comment in the box. 23Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 24Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.