2013 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 69-74
People in Africa eat staple foods made of grains such as maize and sorghum or tubers and roots such as taro and yams. Few proteins necessary for the growth and repair of tissues are present in these staple foods; the proteins lack lysine and display a low nutritional value. The staple foods are a source of calories, but they do not constitute an excellent nutritious meal. Thus, people eat side-dishes using beans to compensate for the lack of nutrients. People in Dirashe special autonomous region, southern Ethiopia, drink an alcoholic beverage parshot using sorghum and maize; they drink only parshot and other alcoholic beverages. This kind of food custom is rare worldwide. In the present, we analyzed the nutrition status and considered the origin of such a drinking culture. We conducted observation studies and investigations on the content of the meals as well as amount and frequency of intake; we also analyzed samples of sorghum, maize, and 3 types of alcoholic beverages. The analysis revealed that the amount of amino acids in the alcoholic beverage was higher than that in the grains. In addition, the results of the observation studies showed that the Dirashe people drink a large amount of parshot and other alcoholic beverages and increase the nutritional value of sorghum and maize by using these grains for the production of alcoholic beverages. They increased their intake by converting sorghum and maize into a slurry, since it is easier to drink liquids than to eat solid foods. Most people in Africa improve the nutrient quality of their food intake by cultivating beans. However, the Dirashe people obtain nutrients efficiently by cooking and consuming a limited number of crops. As a result, a drinking culture peculiar to the area was eventually developed.
