Princess Francisca, OFSP chef from Volta

Orange-fleshed sweet potato is rich in beta carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A. It’s leaves also contain other valuable vitamins. Many families in Ghana, and other African countries, eat sweet potato, but white or yellow varieties. While the orange variety is more nutritious, many farming families were discouraged by the bright orange colour. Cooking shows have introduced many of these farmers to new recipes, and one taste can usually encourage them to start eating — and growing — the potato. Hear from one farmer, Princess Francisca, who participated in a cook show, and is now cooking many recipes with orange-fleshed sweet potato. Francisca: My name is Princess Francisca. I come from Devego, Ghana. I’m married with two kids. Francisca learned about orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) from Fafaa FM. She also took part in a cooking show that taught her how to cook with OFSP. Francisca: I got to know about it when the Fafaa Radio introduced it and they came to Devego to form a group. I was among them as a cook. Sometimes when they bring the leaves and potato I used to use it as food for them so that’s how I got to know them. I learned from the cook show at Lume Avete (in the Volta Region). When you have the potato you can process it to so many things. So I’ve tried using it for drink, I use it to make sweet bread, I use it to pound fufu, I use it to make stew, etc. It’s good and interesting. Whenever I use the leaf to make drink for my friends and my family, I think there is an improvement in their health. So I’ve been using it and it’s good. I used to make drink for them, I fry sweet bread as a dessert when they are taking their drink they add it to it. Sometimes when I am pounding fufu, I add the potato to the cassava and I pound it and it brings some color too, it’s very nice. Before you prepare sweet bread with the potato, first of all you get a potato powder mixed with flour, wheat flour. I add my baking powder, my soda, nutmeg. Then I make my sugar solution with oil and margarine then I mix it up together and begin to fry my sweet bread. Okay we have the normal potato — the old type. We used to use it but we don’t know anything about it whether it has the vitamins A, C or whatever we don’t know it. But we were introduced to this, one we got to know the vitamin A, C, E and the rest so it’s helping and its good. Now I urge everybody to use the potato because it’s good and it’s helping our health. That’s what I tell people. - Learn more about this project on our blog: http://www.farmradio.org/ourblog/2016/03/21/cooking-with-orange-fleshed-sweet-potato-lessons-from-farmer-princess-francisca