Study on the local know-how of the use of beef hides in western Cameroon meals

The current study was conducted in four localities in the West region of Cameroon from May to September 2019, to know the pre-treatments made on given to beef hides before their use in different dishes, as well as the ingredients used in the preparation of pepper soup beef hides through household surveys. A total of 307 housewives were surveyed interviewed. The data was collected using a questionnaire and further analyzed using Sphinx Plus2 V5 software. Results showed that 54.6 to 71% participants consumed beef hides monthly. More than 50% participants purchased their beef hides at the butchery at a price varying between XAF 1,000 for 1Kg of uncleaned smoked beef hides and XAF 3,000 for 2Kg of clean smoked beef hides. The results also showed that there were five main stages in the preparation of beef hides and housewives had a greater preference of beef hides from the head and buttocks. The pre-cooking of beef hides was done between 180 and 240 minutes, with a quantity of water varying between 4 and 5 liters for 1 to 2Kg of beef hides, on the wood fire. “Eru” and “Yellow achu sauce” were cited as the main sauces in which beef hides were used at 95.40% and 85% respectively. Besides, more than 70% of housewives used a maximum of five ingredients for the preparation of pepper soup beef hides. Our findings revealed, interesting insights on the steps and ingredients used when preparing pepper soup beef hides that will be of great importance in the development of better formulation for pepper soup beef hides preparation