Dambu Nama (Shredded Meat)
Overview
Dambu nama is dried, shredded and fried beef from Northern Nigeria, fine and fibrous, closer to floss than to jerky. It is popular among the Hausa and Fulani, and its name is straightforward Hausa: dambu for the shredded form, nama for meat. It began as preservation. Fresh meat was scarce in the dry season, and drying beef in the sun and then pounding or shredding it into fine strands made it keep, made it light to carry, and concentrated it. Spices were added over time, which improved the flavour and did further preservative work. That the result is now eaten as a snack rather than as a store against a hard season is the usual arc for a preserved food that turned out to be good. Its texture is what makes it distinctive. Where kilishi, its northern neighbour in the dried meat category, stays as thin sheets, dambu nama is broken down into fine fibres, which changes entirely how it is eaten. It is taken by the pinch or the spoonful, scattered over rice or eaten straight, and it holds for a long time in a sealed container. It is also frequently sold ready made, since the drying and shredding are the slow parts.
AFN Heritage Note
Dambu nama is documented as a Hausa preparation of Northern Nigeria, in which beef is dried and shredded into fine fibres, a method developed to preserve meat through the dry season when fresh meat was scarce. Its name derives from the Hausa dambu, for the shredded form, and nama, for meat.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Wash the beef thoroughly.
- 2
Cut the beef into thin, long strips, removing any excess fat.
- 3
Season the strips with salt, chilli powder, garlic powder and onion powder, adjusting to taste.
- 4
Place the seasoned strips on a drying rack or hang them in a well ventilated area. Leave them to dry until dry and crisp. Depending on conditions this takes a day or two.
- 5
Once the strips are completely dried, heat vegetable oil in a frying pan or deep fryer.
- 6
Fry the dried strips until golden brown and crisp, working in small batches for even cooking.
- 7
Lift the strips out and drain on paper towels.
- 8
Leave the dambu nama to cool completely before serving.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Laila Yetunde- Use lean beef and trim hard. Fat does not dry, it goes rancid, and it is the reason home made dried meat fails in storage.
- Shred while the meat is still slightly warm from frying. It separates into fibres readily then, and goes brittle and breaks into fragments once fully cold.
- A low oven at around 65°C with the door ajar is the reliable route in a humid or cold climate, in place of air drying over a day or two.
- Fry in small batches. Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and the strips absorb oil instead of crisping.
- It keeps for weeks in an airtight container once completely cool. Any residual warmth creates steam and softens it.
Reviews
2 reviews
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Drying beef outside in South Wales obviously wasnt going to happen with our weather, so I set up a drying rack near the radiator in the spare room. Took nearly two full days to get the strips properly crisp before frying. Picked up a really lean piece of brisket from the butcher in Cardiff market which worked brilliantly. The crunch on these is fantastic, though next time ill double the chilli powder for a bit more kick.
Ah franchement, this brings back memories of dried meats from back home even if dambu nama is Nigerian! Finding good lean beef without too much fat was tricky at the Giant, but I found what I needed at the West African market on Georgia Ave. I let the seasoned strips hang for 36 hours in my kitchen. Once fried, the texture was perfect... crisp and shredded. My family ate half the plate before I could even serve it with the pondu.