By Obanu, Zak A
Meat prefercnces of a pcople represent their meat likes and dislikes, and should
guide meat producers and processors in their attempts to satisfy customers. However,
these preferences differ remarkably from one race to another as is well illustrated by
Henning'sl striking list of contrasting attitudes to meat among different races. This
variation underlies the necessity for the independent study of the meat preferences of
each particular group of people in any attempt to supply their meat requirements.
Although several authors have expressed informed opinions about meat and meat
co~isumption based on their personal experience, unfortunately very little systematic
work has been done on the meat preferences of the peoples of West Africa. The only
detailed survey which has so far been traced in the literature is that of Jollans2 on the
meat preferences of people in the central region of Ghana. Hitherto, this study has
not been widely disseminated, although it was sunimarised by Aylward"%nd more
recently by den Hartog and de Vos.5 Jollans' study was based mostly on men who
made up over 60% (395 out of 658) of the population interviewed. It is, however,
well k n o ~ n s -th~a t among human beings it is the women who teach food habits
to the young. This fact has been considered in the present study of the Ibo meat
preferences.
Whereas this study was carried out by the author before he had fully appreciated
the complexities of such surveys, and will contain some obvious imperfections, the
(( Coinmon\vealth Academic Staff Scholar on leave from: Department of Animal Science, University
of Nigeria, NSukka. Present Addrcss: Department of' Applied Bioch