What is Itsekiri starch made from?

Itsekiri starch, called usin, is made from cassava (Manihot esculenta). Peeled cassava is grated, soaked, and pressed to extract the starch. The resulting wet starch is then cooked with red palm oil — which gives it the distinctive bright yellow colour — until it reaches a smooth, glossy, stretchy consistency similar to mashed potatoes in texture but entirely different in flavour.

How is usin different from eba or fufu?

Eba is made by pouring hot water over dried garri (fermented cassava granules); fufu is fermented cassava mash cooked into a paste. Usin is extracted cassava starch cooked with palm oil. All three come from cassava but use different preparation stages. Usin has a distinct yellow colour, slightly sweet note from palm oil, and a glossier texture than either eba or fufu.

Is starch and banga the Itsekiri national dish?

Effectively yes. While no formal designation exists, starch and banga is the combination most strongly associated with Itsekiri identity, served at weddings, ceremonies, royal events, Sunday lunches, and diaspora gatherings across North America. If you are served starch and banga by an Itsekiri host, you are being welcomed as family.

Can I buy ready-made starch in the US?

Yes. Pre-made Itsekiri starch is available frozen or refrigerated at many African grocery stores in the US. Dry cassava starch powder is also widely sold — and with a little practice you can cook it from scratch at home in under 15 minutes. See the recipe section below for method.

Why is Itsekiri starch yellow?

The yellow colour comes from red palm oil, which is added during cooking. The oil turns bright yellow when heated and thoroughly mixed through the starch. Without palm oil, cooked cassava starch would be white or translucent. Some modern diaspora cooks use less palm oil for lighter colour and reduced calories; traditional preparation uses a generous pour.

Is starch easy to digest?

Cassava starch is highly digestible and generally well-tolerated, making it a common starch choice for children, elders, and people recovering from illness. The palm oil content adds calories and fat. People with cassava allergies should avoid it, and raw cassava must always be fully cooked to neutralise naturally occurring cyanogenic compounds — a non-issue once the starch has been extracted and heated.

Starch (Usin): The Itsekiri Staple Explained

If you have ever eaten Itsekiri food and been served a glossy, bright yellow mound next to a rich dark soup, that was starch. Called usin in Itsekiri, it is the single most iconic staple of the Warri table. Eba travels widely across Nigeria. Pounded yam is Yoruba royalty. Fufu is universal. But starch — yellow, glossy, unmistakable — is Itsekiri.

This article covers what usin is, where it comes from, how it is made, the cultural weight it carries, and a diaspora-friendly recipe. For the soup it is almost always served with, see our banga soup recipe. For the wider cuisine, see 15 Itsekiri Dishes and the Cuisine pillar.

What Is Usin?

Usin is cassava starch cooked with red palm oil until it reaches a smooth, stretchy, semi-translucent consistency. Cassava is first peeled, grated, and pressed — either by hand or by mechanical press — to separate the starch from the fibrous pulp. The liquid starch is then allowed to settle, drained, and preserved as a moist cake. To cook usin, this moist starch cake is whisked into boiling water with red palm oil until it thickens and turns bright yellow.

Texture matters. Done well, usin is smooth but not sticky, glossy but not oily, firm enough to hold shape but soft enough to yield to the soup it is paired with. Done badly it is lumpy, stringy, or pale — and every Itsekiri grandmother has an opinion on what went wrong.

Did You Know

Cassava is not native to Africa. It was introduced from South America via Portuguese trade in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries — almost exactly the same period the Warri Kingdom was receiving Catholic missionaries from Lisbon. The Portuguese brought both the New Testament and cassava to the Itsekiri court, and both endured.

The Cultural Role of Starch

Starch is not just food. At Itsekiri weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals, and royal events, a well-made pot of starch paired with banga is a statement of hospitality and identity. Its bright yellow colour signals abundance and celebration. The generosity of the serving is read: a modest portion means a modest occasion; a mounded plate says this is a day to remember. Diaspora hosts who make starch from scratch for a visiting elder or returning cousin are performing a cultural gesture whose meaning does not need translation.

“Starch is the yellow passport of the Itsekiri kitchen. Whoever receives it is being recognised.”
— INC-USA Editorial

Diaspora Recipe: Starch from Dry Powder (serves 4)

The easiest starting point in a US kitchen. Dry cassava starch powder is widely available at African grocery stores and online.

Ingredients

2 cups cassava starch powder
3 cups cold water
3 tablespoons red palm oil
Pinch of salt (optional)

Method

In a heavy pot, whisk the cassava starch into 3 cups cold water until fully dissolved with no lumps.
Place the pot over medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spatula as the mixture begins to thicken — this takes 5 to 8 minutes.
When the starch reaches a thick, translucent, slightly stretchy consistency, lower the heat and add the red palm oil. Stir vigorously to incorporate; the colour will turn from grey-white to bright yellow.
Continue stirring for another 2 to 3 minutes until the starch is glossy, smooth, and no raw taste remains. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
Serve immediately, moulded into rounded portions with a wet spoon, alongside banga soup.

From Fresh Cassava: The Traditional Method

Making starch from fresh cassava is labour-intensive but the traditional route. Peel cassava tubers. Grate them finely (a box grater or food processor works in smaller kitchens). Wrap the grated cassava in cheesecloth and press out the liquid over a bowl. Let the liquid sit for 6 to 12 hours — the starch will settle at the bottom. Pour off the top water carefully, leaving the thick starch paste. This wet starch can be used immediately for cooking or refrigerated for a few days. Scale up for a batch intended to share with the wider family.

Modern Challenges: Palm Oil and Provenance

One contemporary tension in diaspora starch-making is the quality of red palm oil available in the US. Industrial palm oil from Southeast Asia differs in flavour, colour, and ethical profile from traditional West African red palm oil. Many Itsekiri cooks seek out Nigerian-sourced palm oil specifically — often imported in limited quantities by diaspora-run food distributors. Sustainability conversations around palm oil continue at a global scale; small-scale West African producers generally fall outside the industrial deforestation concerns that dominate the debate, but consumers are increasingly informed about provenance.

Pairing Notes

Starch most famously pairs with banga, but also with:

Owho soup — especially for ceremonial occasions
Seafood okro — a lighter, brothier match
Pepper soup — rare but traditional at some households

Starch (Usin)