So what is wrong with your favorite snack: suya?

By Dr Adepeju Adeniran.

I’m not in the habit of breaking hearts, but I know that many will hurt, at the fact that one of the nation’s favorite “fast food” comes under the health microscope.

Anywhere you go in the country, especially in the evening, chances are very high that you are bound to see the ever present Suya stall with its attendant, the black grill, the hot charcoal flames, the onions and spice wraps.

Throw a couple of friends together, a few bottles of alcohol, and you have Friday nights that are worth looking forward to.

Suya is a good source of body-building nutrients, as in many homes, not enough meat, that provides animal protein, is eaten anyway.

Then why would anyone worry?

Because Suya is not without its own drawbacks and caution notes.

Regarding your health, there could be as many reasons not to eat Suya, as there are to do so.

You want proof?

Let’s take a look at what Suya contains.

Ingredient one:

Fatty meat

Have you ever wondered why the meat in Suya always tastes so good? This is because the meat-cuts that are used are usually high in fat, or from body parts where in the animal, fat is stored.

The reason? To the human tongue, fat is very tasty. In meals, the fat, or oil in cooked food is usually the medium in which all the other ingredients are able to blend together in, and the human palate is usually unable to properly appreciate the taste of many things until oil in added to them. The same goes for the meat that is used in Suya.

Ingredient two: Highly-Salty spice

Not all Suya is guilty of this mind you, but in a typical setting, salt is used to “cure” the meat before it is flame-grilled to make the kebab.

How much? Completely at the discretion of the cook. If the meat is meant to keep for a long time on the “market shelf” before cooking, an even bigger amount of salt will be added.

When it is prepared for consumption or at the sale point to the customer, dried spice is added to the meat, as a garnish to add more flavor.

This spice is composed of dried ginger, dried garlic, cloves, anise, pepper or chili, and you guessed it again, a high amount of “salt to taste”. It makes for a yummy treat, true, but that is playing havoc on your body salt, and salt is well indicated in high blood pressure and developing hypertension.