189Table 2.Chemical composition of some tropical roots and tubers (100 g).Dry Crude Crude Total Energy Ascorbic Calcium Phosphorus Iron
matter protein fat ash acid
Commodity
(g) (g) (g) (g) (kcal) (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg)Cassava 3 1.94 2.71 0.5 3 2.66 3 90.0 3 5.0 10.0 3 5.0 0.50
(Manihot
utilissima)
Yam 26.17 5.87 0.46 4. 30 3 85.9 17.0 18.9 40.7 0.48
(Dioscorea
rotundata)
Cocoyam 26.52 8.66 0.71 4.8 33 76.4 14.0 24.0 53 .6 0.72
(Ta ro)
(colocasia
esculenta)
Cocoyam 2 24.89 7.85 0.70 5.22 382.6 10.0 6.0 360.0 0.70
(Tannia)
(Xanthosoma
Sagittifolium)
Sweet Potato 28.08 5. 3 60. 33 3 .15 3 91.0 26.2 16.6 3 1.0 0.8 3
(Ipomoea
batatas)FAO ( 1968 ); Onimawo and Egbekun ( 1988 ).Nutrient content of some Nigerian traditional foods
Every community in Nigeria has its own food pref-
erences and over the years has developed the taste
for such foods. The communities also have their pe-
culiar ways of preparing their traditional foods.
These cultural practices contribute to the nutrient
content and nutrient retention in traditional foods.
Nutrient content of some of these Nigerian foods
are shown in Tables 2–8 below.