Gurasa: Tales and business of the Arabian bread

Gurasa is not native to the northern part of the country. But, today, gurasa has become very popular in the North as it features prominently in the people›s menu. KOLA OYELERE writes on this unique bread which has taken the north by the storm.

GURASA bread is a popular confectionary in Kano State. It was brought hundreds of year ago by migrants from Saudi Arabia who settled in some parts of the ancient city such as Dukawa, Sanka Quarters in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

According to history, the setters on arriving in Kano continued to produce their home-grown bread which soon began to be embraced by the locals. Now, gurasa bread’s popularity has gone beyond the city of Kano and become widely loved and cherished in most of the states across the northern part of the country.

The bread business has not only provided employment for many people including bakers, distributors, retailers, and the hawkers, it has equally improved the socio-economic status of many people involved in the value chain of the bread.

Alhaji Bashir Ammai Maizare, heir apparent to the traditional leadership of Sanka Quarters, an area domiciled mostly by the Saudi settlers while speaking with Sunday Tribune said gurasa is an Arabian food commonly produced in quarters located in Kano, especially those in Dandalin Turawa, Sanka, Kulkul and its environs. Traders also regularly visit the ancient city to purchase the bread and take them to other parts of the country.

At Rimin Gado Local Government Area in Kano North, a settlement located just before Garo town is now known as Gurasa village, simply because baking gurasa is the major occupation of the residents.

According to Alhaji Maizare, gurasa can be eaten distinctly with a variety of food items.

“You can eat it with tea, with vegetable soup, even with pepper soup and suya meat. You must have noticed that most suya sellers stock gurasa bread. It can also be eaten with fried egg,” he explained.

A tea seller in the heart of the city, on Enugu Road, Sabongari,  who did not want his identity disclosed, told Sunday Tribune that most of his customers prefer eating gurasa with suya (roasted meat). “A majority of my customers are lovebirds; the ladies are fond of eating suya with gurasa,” he said showing his stack of gurasa which had reduced to about half of the size he claimed he bought from distributors just a few hours back.

Gurasa serves different purposes. Some see it as the best meal for lunch, while others prefer to snack on it. Still, others use it for spiritual purposes as they often give it to beggars, neighbours and to charity homes as alms.

Good business 

Hadiza Mohammed, a 28 years old single lady, has become a household name for selling gurasa bread, which she baked in her small factory located in Dukurawa Quarters in Kano. Hadiza told Sunday Tribune that she inherited the business from her grandmother since the age of 18 and she now has her own bakery 10 years after.

“I wake up as early as 4.00 a.m, but I get down to serious work after doing the necessary home chores. Baking activities and other chores stop at 11.00 a.m. After baking, customers would begin to arrive to buy in bulk for onward distribution to consumers in various parts of the state,” she said pointing at the huge pile of gurasa in her ‘bakery’.

On how she bakes her much sought-after product, Hadiza told Sunday Tribune that she mixes flour or wheat dust with water, adds yeast, salt or sugar.

“Depending on whether you are producing salty or sugary bread, after baking, you leave it for two hours. You put dry corn stalks into the clay pots (tanderu); light a fire on it to burn the stalk, as the clay pot is heated. You now cut the mixed flour into sizes and paste them on the sides, around, and inside the clay pot until it is baked before you remove the pieces.

“As simple as it appears, your hands get scorched because you dip it bare into the hot clay pot. It is quite tasking, particularly when you are new to the job,” Hadiza explained, wiping sweat from her brows.

However, despite enduring the heat on a daily basis, the business, according to her, has been very rewarding. From the gurasa business, she disclosed, she has built a house of her own and bought several plots of land too. “It is that lucrative,” she enthused with smile. Of course for Hadiza, nobody would doubt that.

Gwarzo Ibrahim has been selling gurasa bread for over five years. He has used proceeds from the business to start a family of his own, send his children to school, and also build a house. Ibrahim also has about 10 young men working for him; they sell his products and remit sale proceeds to  him on a daily basis.

Like Hadiza and Ibrahim, selling gurasa has also been good for Hajia Binta Kura. According to her, she had trained several apprentices on how to make good gurasa bread. Those whom she trained, she revealed, have equally succeeded in the business and are also doing well.

Challenges 

Just like every other business,  gurasa production also has its own challenges. One of them is capital. Others are the unstable economy which causes fluctuation in the price of flour and irregular supply of major ingredients, such as corn stalk, used in making the product.

Though many potential bakers run away from the business because of the heat, Hadiza said the health hazard can be taken care of by eating balanced diet and

Noticeably, most gurasa traders bake the bread in the traditional way. Asked if they would rather avoid the searing heat by using modern oven for the baking, they answered in the negative. According to them, “the traditional method brings out the real taste and aroma.”

If that is the case, the taste and/or aroma of gurasa is in the baking and it is its unique selling point. Therefore, if maintaining the uniqueness of this special bread is the only way to keep the customers coming, then it is the way to go.