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Denderu: Kanuri’s popular delicacy

It is a sweet and tasty menu served with well prepared pepper, also known as ‘yaji’, that is always sought for by many especially among…

It is a sweet and tasty menu served with well prepared pepper, also known as ‘yaji’, that is always sought for by many especially among the Kanuri  and it is one of their unique ways of preparing meat.
Daily Trust on Sunday was at the Shehu’s palace in Maiduguri, Borno State to cover the traditional way of preparing this delicacy usually served every Friday at the palace and during special occasions. Ya Chellu and Ya Aji from the palace kitchen were our guides.

Ingredients
Meat (preferably mutton), Salt, Maggi cubes, Royco cubes, fresh pepper, Onions (large one’s), Curry powder and Garlic (optional) and will be used as desired and  no specific quantity is specified.
Ya Chellu mentioned that  all you need is mutton from a skinned ram, warning that the head and the abdominal parts of the ram are not used for Denderu, as they are to be taken out and used for preparing pepper soup and other things. The ram is then butchered into large pieces with the bones, the muscles and tendons  also taken out completely, before they are washed and kept to drain in a bowl. Alternatively, a whole ram can be prepared too after taking out the abdominal parts, and the head as well. This is determined by the size of the Blaa (local oven made with sand) that you may have.
The process of seasoning and garnishing the meat, starts before the oven is made ready to bake the Denderu. The oven is specially designed for the purpose of this delicacy, and the soil is excavated and usually well plastered with mud, to ensure that sand particles do not fall  on the meat. The top is covered and plastered too, with an opening which can be covered to maintain the pressure in the oven.
Pieces of firewood are arranged through the opening at the top of the Blaa. They  are lit  to burn completely into red hot charcoal which heats the oven and are  spread inside the oven. While the fire is burning, the oven gets heated and one can go on with other processes.
Ya Aji, was busy with the sauce. The pepper and onions are washed and cut into bits that can easily be pounded in a mortar. The seasonings are also grounded into powder and poured into the pepper and onions paste.
The meat is then pierced all around using a pointed knife. The pepper paste is then poured on the meat and rubbed into it. Piercing the meat is very important and cannot be neglected, because it enables the ingredients penetrate. Once this process is completed the meat is ready to be put into the oven.
The firewood must be fully burnt into charcoal to avoid smoke in the underground oven. The major reason for this is to ensure Denderu does not smell of smoke, but the aroma of spices used will be pronounced when eating. The charcoal is then spread within the oven upon with a small earthen pot is placed . Broken pieces of earthen pots are then arranged over the burning coal surrounding the pot. This is to prevent water and oil that will eventually drip out of the meat, from quenching the fire. The meat is then placed above the local pot inside the oven.
It may amaze you to know that the meat will be in the oven for a minimum of 24 hours, and sometimes a week or two, depending on personal taste and choice. But  the level of heat will be less when it will stay for more than a day, and from time to time you may have to increase the heat in the oven.
Denderu is ready to be served when the meat becomes soft, and gets a bit dry and baked. The oven is then opened and Danderu is serve as an after lunch with dried grounded pepper to add taste.
Denderu is not only cherished and enjoyed by Kanuri’s, but also the  non-Kanuri.  Daily Trust on Sunday spoke with some people who have tasted this  delicacy, like Adebayo Ganiu, a Yoruba man who has resided  in Maiduguri for more than 15 years. He  admitted that anyone who tastes Denderu will always be wanting more, saying, “It is very delicious.”
He added that it is a nice way of baking meat, stating that he has never come across this anywhere, and called on the younger generation to learn how to prepare varieties of traditional dishes from their parents. Ganiu suggested that Denderu should be made available commercially, as he will like to eat it any time and not just occasionally.
Ngozi Chukwuma, an Igbo woman who has maintained friendship with a Kanuri family for long, said despite the technicalities involved in the preparation of Denderu she learnt how to prepare  it, because she was so fond of the delicacy. As a woman, who loves cooking said she made up her mind to learn several traditional dishes of the Kanuri.
Hajja Mairam Babagana, a Kanuri lady who is paid to prepare Denderu for people at various occasions, stated that Denderu is formerly seen as a traditional royal delicacy among the Kanuri people, but that does not restrict others from eating it. Anyone may wish to bake it whenever he likes, she said.
Patronage of Denderu is on the increase these days. People demand for it daily not just for occasions. But it is commonly prepared  during the Eidel Kabir, when most Muslim households will have enough meat from their ram to prepare the delicacy.  Denderu is also served to guests and loved ones.
However, one of the challenges is that it requires a lot of time and dedication in its preparation. That makes it difficult for people to get it on a regular basis. As such you can hardly get it in any of the restaurants in the town. But the simple fact is that those who run the business avoid over stressing themselves.
One of the Denderu specialists, Falmata Modu, said, “We are given contracts  to prepare Denderu, particularly when people have marriages, naming ceremonies and other important social gatherings, as a way of refreshment for guests. Considering the perishable nature of Denderu once out of the oven, it does not stay long. Therefore, it must be consumed as soon as it has been served.
The Kanuri have been known for ages as  a proud people  with rich culture, tradition and cuisines with the largest population residing in Borno.
A foreign aid worker, Mr. Chris Skill, said he cannot count the number of times he ate Denderu within the 10 months he has been frequenting Maiduguri, adding, “I like the spices they  add  to it. The meat and even the bones are usually soft. I have never been tired of eating it, though I do not know how they  prepare  it.
“My friend Kate always likes taking some to Lagos. Someone from the hotel used to go and buy for us whenever we were in Maiduguri. I have never seen Denderu in Lagos or anywhere else,” he said.

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