Potash is widely used in Nigeria as a tenderising agent for local dish preparation, it is a type of lake salt, lime stone, sodium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate. It has a chalk like texture and is usually grey or whitish. studies have shown that it is the second most used in Nigeria.
The name derived from "pot ash" and this refers to plant ashes soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the industrial era. This type of lake salt usually forms and shoots out from the soil during the raining season but tends to fall off, solidify and get dried during the dry season.
Even though potash has some benefits in the kitchen, it does not do the body a lot of good and is worth avoiding totally if need be. In recent times, different injurious and terminal diseases with devastating effects have been infringed into human lives, which are linked to the consumption of potash.
Potash has a high sodium content, which is not good for the body. The effects of a high intake of sodium include headache, increase in blood pressure, osteoporosis, damage the kidney, reduces protein in food, it injures the testicles, thereby causing infertility in men, induce abortion in early pregnancies due to its ability to increase uterine contractility, pregnant woman are highly advised to refrain from taking any kind of potash concoction.
Knowing how edible potash is not good for the body, when adding potash to your cooking, it would be best not to add any additional salt to it so as not to increase the sodium content in the food. Reducing the intake is very advisable also considering safer ingredients that can be used as alternative.
Burnt palm fruit stalk is an alternative to potash, pour the ash in a bowl and allow to settle for some minutes, the water is used for cooking while the remnant at the bottom of the bowl is thrown away.
Plantain peel is also an effective alternative for potash, as it softens the food you are cooking, especially plantain to the level you want very fast.
Another alternative to look at is "Sugar", (my own recipe) this is not widely know as it is just discovered by nutritionist.
For meat, beans and any other food giving you so much time to cook, all you need is one or two cubes of sugar, you can strain the water after boiling to the level you want or you can cook with it as it poses no side effects to the body. This also gives taste to your meal.