Cow Skin (Pomo) - To Eat or Not To Eat

Cow Skin (aka ponmo)

I imagine every cuisine of the world has one food item or another, that causes so much controversy about why and how it is eaten and enjoyed....and for Nigeria & Nigerians, one of such food items is the cow skin...(aka pomo, ponmo, awo, kanda (dried form), raincoat).

In today's post I share with you some of the information I have researched on cow skin to help you to get the information you need to determine if you should or should not be eating pomo...

What is Cow Skin
This is the hairy outer covering of the cow which is removed when slaughtered for food. Also referred to as cow hide, it is a by-product of processing cow for meat in the food industry and usually earmarked for processing into other things. The skin is regarded as an organ and is considered to be the largest organ in an animal due to its large surface area.

To the world at large, cow hide is destined to be processed through tanning, to make leather which is subsequently used for a variety of things in the fashion and furniture manufacturing industries. On the other hand, protein in cow skin, known as collagen/gelatine is also extracted for use in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries.

From Cow Skin to Pomo
Nigerians enjoy a delicacy processed from cow skin which is locally referred to as pomo. It is very popular and even though it was regarded as a frugal alternative to meat, pomo is eaten across different societal class levels. It features regularly, along with other types of meats, in classic traditional dishes, and its absence in a dish, to some people, can cause "trouble". Cow skin in itself is really tough to eat and requires an arduous process of cooking to soften/tenderize it for human consumption.

The main aims of processing cow skin to pomo, are to remove the hair from the skin and tenderize it, and there are two methods for doing this: boiling and burning/roasting. After skinning the cow, the skin is cut up into manageable sizes and either boiled or burned/roasted.

Boiling: In this method, the cow skin is first plunged into hot water to help make it easy to remove the hair. After shaving, the cow skin is further cooked until it becomes soft and ready for consumption. After boiling, the skin continues to be soaked in water for several hours which triggers a short stage of fermentation, which also contributes to softening the cow skin. This process produces the white type of pomo.

Burning/Roasting: In this method, the skin is thrown into a burning flame to singe the hair off and also commence the process of softening it. The flame is made using old tyres and/or wood. Some other petrochemical agents (such as kerosene, diesel or petrol) are often added to create an intense flame. After roasting, the pomo is further boiled, then washed and allowed to soak in water. The outcome of this method is the brown/burnt color pomo.

Nutrition
It is often said that cow skin has no nutritional value. This is actually not the case. Cow skin is very high in collagen, a type of protein which is really quite important for holding bones and skin tissues in place. And according to Akwetey W. Y., Eremong D. C. and Donkoh A. (Journal of Animal Science Advances), as well as protein, cow skin, also contains some reasonable levels of minerals depending on the method of processing it. But the protein in cow skin is considered to be of low quality....

Generally speaking, foods with high quality protein or of high biological value are foods that contain all the essential amino acids the body needs daily to function. Example include cheese, milk, eggs, beef, chicken, fish.

On the other hand, foods with high level of collagen protein or high gelatine content such as cow foot, chicken foot, pig's tail, oxtail and cow skin and other gelatinous meats, are considered to be of low biological value (low quality protein). This is because they contain high levels of non essential amino acids (i.e. amino acids that the body can already produce) and lack one or more of the essential amino acids..

But wait a minute...., cow skin is not the only food in this category though...some other popular foods thought to be really healthy such as peas, beans, nuts, also lack one amino acid or the other.....

So What are the Concerns
All over the internet there are several references to pomo being unhealthy, cancer causing, nutritionally value-less and also a drain to the Nigerian economy. Even a BBC article picked it up (Nigeria Is Eating its Leather Industry...!)

First of all, in reference to pomo being unhealthy, we have established above that it does contain some amount of protein (albeit low quality because it lacks some essential amino acids) and also it contains some minerals. This claim was made in the research work of  Akwetey W. Y., Eremong D. C. and Donkoh A. referenced above. They however infer that the quantities of nutrients in pomo is directly dependent on the method of production.

Akwetey W. Y., Eremong D. C. and Donkoh A. also found out that contaminants are most likely introduced into pomo based on the methods of production. For instance, the pomo made through roasting in flames made with tyre and petrochemicals, is more likely to carry residual elements which would be unsuitable for consumption and may have dangerous effects on the body.

There are also concerns that some chemical substances given to cattle (for veterinary reasons) prior to slaughter, may remain the the skin and subsequent passed on to humans who eat the skin. This in addition to fears that the skin harbors parasites, lesions or diseases which could be transferred into the food chain.

Furthermore, there are concerns that unscrupulous pomo processors/producers inject chemical agents into pomo to plump it up and make it more appealing for buyers.

Last but not least of all these concerns, is that Nigeria could be earning more foreign currency by exporting cow hide or perhaps develop its own leather manufacturing industry. So rather than eat cow skin, Nigerians being persuaded to sell it or turn it to leather!

My Views
Every concern expressed above relates directly to the methods of processing of pomo. With better methods of production, and with appropriate monitoring and public health inspection and certification, I believe there will less concerns about pomo.

Pomo is a delicacy that Nigerians love and enjoy, more for its taste and texture (when cooked properly). It does contribute a unique taste and texture to any meal it is added, particularly stews and soups.

Due to its level of popularity and availability, I do not think pomo is a food item that is about to be eliminated from the Nigerian culinary culture any time soon! Instead, what ought to be done is address the concerns surrounding its production and ensure that methods that are used follow the right specifications and standards.

How I Use Pomo
I am partial to using pomo occasionally, especially when I make traditional soups like egusi, ogbonna and efo riro. I do enjoy the great taste and texture it brings to my dishes.

I am quite selective with the ones I buy, but while there are no guaranties, I do check for these three things before I buy: the thickness and texture, the smell, and general appearance - I inspect to see that there are no cuts or bruises on the surface. I also check that the texture is firm and spongy with no offensive or over powering smell.

When I purchase some pomo, I clean it out thoroughly before use. First I place the pomo pieces into hot water and with a metal sponge, I scrub them ensuring there are not black streaks on the surface and crevices/folds. I further rinse out with fresh clean water with some added lime or lemon juice. I finally cut into smaller bite size  pieces and boil for about ten minutes or until they become soft to my preference. I then remove from the water used to boil them, discard the water and retain the pomo pieces until needed.

"When cooking pomo, I ensure that it is not the only source of protein in my meal. Combine pomo with other  types of protein and vegetables so that you end up with a nutritionally balanced  meal. "

Usage in other Countries
Cow skin is also processed like pomo and eaten in other West African countries such as Ghana where it is called welle or wele.

Cow skin is equally consumed in the Caribbeans where it is added to stews and soups and well loved by West Indian men in particular.

However in other countries particularly in the industrially advanced ones, gelatine/collagen is extracted from cow skin (as well as pig, chicken legs and other animal bones) and used in various forms in the food industry to make food items such as jelly, gello, gelatin sheets, fruit or wine gums, gummy bears, jelly babies, ice-cream etc. It is also added to ready meal and other processed food in which it acts a a gelling agent.

Gelatine is also used in pharmaceutical companies to make casing for medicines and added to medicines as a gelling agent. Also added to beauty creams/products in the cosmetic industries.

The Japanese people also extract collagen from cow skin (as well as other animal sources) to make collagen powder or bases which are used to make collagen soup, a supposed trendy/fad beauty treatment...

Summary:
  • Pomo has become a really popular local delicacy loved by all regardless of societal class level
  • Its unique taste and texture are what makes it so popular
  • The methods and materials used to produce pomo such as the use of tyre and petrochemicals such as diesel/petrol/kerosene create doubts and concerns about its suitability for human consumption
  • Cow skin pomo is not nutritionally value-less as thought. Research shows that depending in its method of production, pomo contains reasonable levels of protein (albeit of low quality/low biological value because it does not contain one or more of the essential amino acids). Also, through research, some minerals have also been found in processed pomo
  • Establishing a certifiable standard processing industry for the production of pomo in Nigeria is one certain way to ensure that the current health issues concerning it are eliminated
  • Cow skin is consumed in one form or another across the world, either directly or indirectly from processed food items, sweets, jelly or gelato, ice-cream, food additives, ready meals, snacks etc.
  • Never make pomo your main source of protein. Combine with other proteins and vegetables to strike a balance




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47 Comments

  1. Good work Funke. The next natural step is to consider if there is an economic answer to the dilemma of whether Nigerians should enjoy their Pomo or produce their own finest leather goods.

    In the UK Pomo is eaten commonly and this is not impacting on the leather industry. This is likely due to the fact that most of the population do not eat it. The two uses can therefore exist side by side. It's just a question of finding the right balance.

    The task of answering the above lies elsewhere as you have tackled the nutritional and safety elements. I hope someone in the Nigerian government reading your blog gets up from their mama put lunch, and goes back to their desk to do some policy work to facilitate a viable leather industry without compromising the continued enjoyment of this delicacy.

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    1. Quite right Wale, lets hope someone "in there" can think up something to create a viable leather industry in Nigeria....in the same vein, I call on entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity to make money through setting up a certified/standardized factory to process cow skin to pomo the proper way. All the health scare relating to pomo stem from the way its produced...

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  2. I just stumbled upon your blog and I've been stuck to it for quite some hours now, I'm tired of eating the regulars and I'm on a quest for something different, I'm impressed with the much I have seen and I'll seriously give them a trial one after the other, more grease to your elbows

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    1. Thanks Dave for stopping by and leaving a comment... pleased you like me blog and I hope you get to share some of the recipes...

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  3. Please can you help with the calories is Kpomo? i keep looking for a detailed research on the calories but seem not to have any.

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  4. Dear Funke
    Kindly state your views or what you know about certain specie of ponmo sold in our Nigerian markets especially Oyingbo and other small outlets in Lagos city. there's been allegation that the animal skin is not the normal cow skin, imported from outside the country and very dangerous to health.

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  5. Nice post, Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Pomo is delicious but you don't cook over burning tires - idiots.

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  7. In Cameroon we call it kanda in our pidgin English and use it to cook eru.Rich ones can also add dried fish,meat or the entrails of the cow plus crayfish.This cocktail of a soup cooked with palm oil is just a taste of heaven on earth.My Ngemba people in he grassfields call it Ngob b Nyam.It is used for yellow achu soup but only the very poor dont mix the ngob b nyam with other forms of meat.Finally hot pepersoup or "bouillon chaud" in french is a typical breakfast or the rich made of cow tailor cowleg or just the skin and a lot of local spices cooked together.This is washed down with very kool beer or bière glaçée before office hours by rich civil servants.This is mor expensive than regular meat or chicken of same size..

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    1. Thanks for your contribution to this post....

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    2. I also want to know about purine level in pomo. Please, could you shine light on this. Thanks.

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  8. I was surprised that you're not more popular because you certainly have the gift.

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    1. Thanks so much for checking out my post Diane, and am pleased you feel that I have the "gift".... Concerning popularity, I suppose that's coming......! Thanks for your interest and continued support.

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  9. Thank you so much for doing this Funke. I am a very health conscious person. You have helped me to make a decision on what type of pomo to buy, and how to clean it good. Keep up the work girl.

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  10. I like your post on ponmo. Will follow you to learn some basics.
    http://sheamapo.wordpress.com

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  11. people do not eat ponmo alone, but rather combine with other sources of meat, it is difficult to say that it will cause a deficiency of important nutrients. health benefits

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  12. Funke,would you consider ponmo to be a good substitute for red meat?

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    1. Yes, red meat has more unhealth issues researches has uncovered compared to Ponmo. Ponmo may be less nutritious unlike red meat but it does not also pose dangers to consumers health like redmeat

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  13. Hello I really love this post , its quite informative. Thank you very much.

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  14. Food.mayor encourage the consumption of promo knowing that it health benefits are silent.

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  15. Greeting from Indonesia. Indonesian often eat pomo too. Cooked with alot of green chilli and sweet soy sauce serve with rice soo yummi.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, I do love some of the Indonesian food that I tried out here in London... please keep supporting..!

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  16. Well-done very informative. In as much that I really like eating Pomo, I will be more careful and be observant.

    Thank you very much
    Dunni

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    1. Hello and thanks for stopping by. Am glad you find the post informative...

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  17. Hi Funke, thanks for sharing this. I love your mindset and approach to demystifying the popular myths about kpomo having no nutritional value. I sure know they are all lies. I'm a chef myself and also a medical doctor. I know there are lots of benefits right in there, even the ones that science has not come to discover yet. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks doc... am glad you are lending your opinion....

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  18. In Guyana, SA, we collect fresh cow skin and prepare it from scratch. The butchers remove the hairs and excess sinue without cooking it. So all the cleaning and tenderizing are done after purchase.

    Cow skin, specifically cow face, is used in three main dishes here.
    - Power soups, which may also contain other protein sources such as chicken feet, beef, chicken, peas, as well as ground provision
    - Pepper Pot, which includes beef, spices like cinamon and clove, herbs, peppers, and cassereep made from liquid extracted from cassava. This is eaten with bread
    - Souse made with just the cow face prepared in salted water and vinigar, seasoned with herbs, wiri wiri peppers and thinly sliced cucumbers, all added after the boil... Very spicy but very tasty...

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    1. Hiya, thanks for your comment. Its so fascinating to see how same food ingredients are utilised in different parts of the world....!

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  19. Thanks Funke for educating me and other Nigerians. Please is Pomo healthy for an hapathitis b carrier?

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  20. Thanks for this nice lecture Funke.
    Please can a hapatitis b patient continue to eat Pomo?

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  21. Perhaps its worth considering Ponmo's nutritional contents, especially fat (cholesterol) as many are looking to alternatives to red meat.

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    Replies
    1. This would be a great opportunity for a food entrepreneur...

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  22. That was a very interesting and informative article on pōmo.
    In my case, I would like to know the purine level of cow skin, cow leg and cow head meal as it affects gout sufferer.
    Would be grateful if you could respond to this promptly

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  23. I read your post and its enlightening. I am interested in pommo business and doing some research so that i can educate my customers appropriately. Your write-up was helpful. I will love to use/quote some of your findings in my e-flier for my customers. Thank you.

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  24. I just read the research paper. Its really inspiring in raspect of product diversification. And also for the halal eater. Could u please mention the volume of production and productivity Also its global consumptions.

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  25. Is it good to eat promo with the hair on it?

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  26. Great post.. you just summed up my research .. thanks

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  27. Can it be grinded and used as
    a source of crude protein in animal feed eg poultry or pigs?

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  28. Thank you Funke. So much. I was really confused. I recently visited someone who sells ponmo and for the first time saw the dried ones and how it's transformed to be the soft one we see in the market. But the sight was not pleasant. My family and I after then agreed not to buy it again cos it was less than hygienic. But I've been torn. I really enjoy ponmo, aka kanda, in meals and have been having a hard time choosing to give it up. But after seeing your own method of using it, I've decided that if I'm gonna use it, I'll follow the same procedures. Thank you so much! Really. 🙂

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    1. you are quite right, some of the methods used to process ponmo and indeed most other foods are quite unhygienic. my personal advise that you should be really selective when purchasing food. Also, lets hope that the government is able to regulate the Nigerian food businesses...!

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  29. Thank you Funke for this information. Using chemicals to make the skin thicker is a popular practice in Abuja among market women. The unfortunate thing is people prefer the ones that are with chemicals over the natural ones just because of the thickness. Even most popular restaurants prefer to patronage vendors that use chemicals to make their ponmo thicker than those that sell without chemicals. This is very heartbroken. I wish everyone can see the secret behind that thicker ponmo. I go against them verbally especially when I am in the market to buy foodstuff but because I don't know the name of the chemical I appear as someone who doesn't know what she is saying. I wish I can save them from eating these dangerous cow skin chemicals. It is well

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  30. kanda is good with hoce in addition with tail or cow foot FUNKE thank you for imforming the kind of kanda to buy and use

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