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Crisps aren’t for TV kids in the West alone. At the coast, Cassava crisps, or ‘Kachiri’, are a staple, and Kenya’s very own crisps, at some Sh10 a bag.

Cassava is a perennial with a wide harvesting window that means it can act as a famine reserve, which has seen the Mijikenda tribe among other coastal communities make cassava one of their staple foods, using it in many ways across dried and ground cassava for making ugali or porridge, or simply as oiled cassava, and as the now popular Kachiri crisps.

Estimated to have settled in the coastal region about 300 years ago, after moving from the northern Somalia coast, the Mijikenda have long been farmers growing cassava as well as maize, rice, cowpea, coconut, cashew and fruit trees, both for home and the market, say researchers. Thanks to the Mijikenda community, cassava crisps or Kachiri have since spread so much it is common to see hawkers on the streets of Malindi and Mombasa selling them together with other coastal snacks and bitings like cashews and peanuts.

“Kachiri, kachiri, saga (x3), mume wangu kasafiri, saga! Kaniletea mihogo, saga! Kachiri, saga! (x2),”

Is how a Swahili singing game goes, sang Moses adding that even in schools it was a popular snack enjoyed by the youth. The singing game basically talks about how a lady’s husband traveled and brought home cassava, the main ingredient for the Kachiri recipe.

Yet the cassava whether in the form of Kachiri or any other recipe, has benefits for all. While Cubans believe that cassava is an ideal antidote for irritable bowel syndrome, a few Kenyan coastal communities believe it adds physical strength and even vitality.

Researchers say over 500 million people globally rely on cassave as their main source of calories. It has also been found to contain high levels of vitamin C and carbohydrates. One cup or about 200 grams of cassava for instance, can provide 42 milligrams of Vitamin C, known to act as an antioxidant, leading to less aging. However, its high protein content means it can lead to weight gain.

And despite the fact that it has nutritional benefits when raw, it is actually poisonous if it is not cooked.

Cassava doesn’t have a strong taste but some varieties tend to be either sweet or bitter.

To make Kachiri, “Siku hizi wanatumia scraper, (nowadays they use a scraper or peeler)” says Moses, who lives at the coast. However even a food processor too can be used to chop the cassava into slices.

Like potato crisps, the slices are deep fried (after boiling or steaming), for a few minutes until they become crisp with a distinctive flavour. Once they are ready, they are served with spices like “ukwaju”, a mixture of masala - a chili spice and tamarind, or simply lemon juice adding zest.

Although they are mainly popular in the coastal region, they are also sold in a few places  in Nairobi like the Ngara market, where they are offered with tomato sauce. Yet despite being made from local ingredients, away from the coast, Kenya’s crisps are really rather rarely seen.

Written by Stella Kabura for African Laughter