Understanding the Nigerian’s relationship with food
Food to the Nigerian is not just fuel for the body: it is everything. In the Yoruba language we have myriad sayings around this sentiment, such as Oun t’a ó jẹ l’àgbà oun ta ó se, which translates to “What we want to eat is, on the hierarchical scale, superior to what we want to do.” The sentiment approximates the English saying that “soldiers cannot march on an empty stomach”. Traditional Nigerian societies were based on agriculture and farming the land, which required an intense amount of manual labour. Hearty carbohydrates were the fuel needed to prepare the body for the work ahead. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for Nigerians – nothing better than a warming bowl of ogì, otherwise known as pap, eaten with either mọ́ínmọ́ín or àkàrà – the latter being my preference, since you’re asking.
Make we chop
The traditional way Nigerian food is prepared is outside, with large pots and firewood. This method of preparation gives the food a smoky, unmistakable flavour. For those who wish to replicate the real deal, authentic Nigerian experience, you’ll need to use traditional cookware such as Ìkòkò irin (‘pots’ in the Yoruba language), Àdògán (these are pot stands in the Yoruba language, which are, typically, recycled tyre wheels), Igi ìdáná (firewood), Odó àti Ọmọ odó (pestle and mortar ), a traditional wooden baton called omorọgùn (used for dishes such as amàlà, and pounded yam) and a type of frying pan called agbada, which is made up of thick metal which absorbs and conducts well enough to heat up the oil poured into it.
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Chop belleful – a quick guide to Nigerian food and drink
Greens
Nigerian food is packed with good-for-you ‘greens’. The following healthy wonders should be available from your local Nigerian food store.
Uziza leaves – their shiny leaves give off a spicy aroma that’s unmistakable. Uziza leaves are traditionally used in yam pepper soup, egusi soup, Oha/Ora soup;
Zogale leaves (better known elsewhere as moringa), a superfood that boasts 92 nutrients and 9 essential amino acids;
Afang (wild spinach);
Efirin (scent leaf);
Efo (African spinach);
Ewedu (jute leaves);
Gbure (waterleaf);
Ofe onugbu/ewuro (bitter leaf – which is renowned for its health benefits)
Ugwu leaf (fluted pumpkin leaves).
Rice-based dishes
“A Nigerian party without rice is a meeting”
Jollof rice is perhaps the best known of Nigerian food. It’s inexpensive and made with pretty simple ingredients (tomatoes, onions, peppers, stock) yet delicious and obviously much better than the Ghanaian variety. It’s also easy to make – so easy that you can make it in a rice cooker. Other rice dishes include Nigerian fried rice, popular among the Yoruba; tuwon shinkafa (rice fufu), a dish that hails from Northern Nigeria and is popular among the Hausa and Fulani; masa wain ( a rice-based dish that resembles small pancakes), also popular in Northern Nigeria.
Stews and soups
Rich, flavourful ‘stew and swallow’ is the Nigerian food equivalent of bacon and eggs. Nigerians simply love their stews and soups. Popular ones are the following:
Efere afang (afang soup)– a hearty meat dish that comes with an assortment of meats – goat meat, snails, cowskin (ponmo) and periwinkles are typical.
Ubobok (plantain pottage) – made from unripe plantain.
Ufobo mmong bia – a broth (pepper soup) prepared with smoked goat meat (or chicken).
Miyan kuka – a baobab-green soup, a Hausa delicacy.
Efo riro – a hearty Yoruba stew that can loosely be translated as ‘mixed-stirred leafy vegetables’.
Egusi soup –a popular soup made from blended melon seeds – eaten with ‘swallow’ such as pounded yam, amala, eba and fufu.
Okazi soup – a thick, vegetable soup mostly eaten in the east of Nigeria that’s thickened with achi seed (other thickeners can be used).
Ofada stew– popular with the Yoruba, this is a delicious stew made from palm oil, iru and peppers.
Miyan taushe– a hearty dish associated with northern Nigeria that’s made with pumpkin, sorrel/spinach, lamb or goat meat, roasted peanuts, tomatoes, onions and peppers.
Okro soup– a satisfying, nutritious soup made with okras, stock or water, locust beans, crayfish, onions and peppers.
Ogbono soup –a culinary paradise for meat lovers made from blended ogbono (wide mango seed), tripe, ponmo, fish, crayfish, periwinkle, stock and onions.
Obe ata – a tomato and pepper-based stew to which can be added a variety of meats, chicken or fish.
Edikang ikong soup – a nutritious, warming meat and vegetable soup traditionally made with ugwu (the native name for fluted pumpkin leaves) and malabar spinach (locally called waterleaf in Nigeria).
Nigerian ‘swallow’ (bolus meals) – served with stews and soups
Amala – a very nutritious food native to the Yoruba group, àmàlà is dark brown and made from yam or unripe plantain flour. Not to be confused with iyan. There are three types: àmàlà isu (yam flour), àmàlà láfún’ (cassava flour) and amala ogede (plantain flour).
Eba – made from garri, eba is made by cooking the garri with water, then working it into a ‘dough’. It is either white or yellow depending on the type of garri used.
Fufu – a delicious, staple food made from plantain, cocoyam, yam or cassava.
Iyan (pounded yam) – the Nigerian equivalent of mashed potato, iyan is made from boiled yam tubers, pounded into a smooth consistency. For those short of time, you can buy yam flour already prepared for a quick hot water mix.
Akpu – popular in Southern Nigeria, akpu is a wet paste food made from cassava. It is prepared by peeling and washing raw cassava until it becomes white. It is then allowed to ferment for a few days before it is sieved and pounded into moulds.
Beans-based dishes
Akara is a staple of Nigerian breakfasts and is typically served with a bowl of pap (ogi). It’s a deep-fried pancake made from pureed black-eyed beans, salt, pepper and onions. You can easily make it at home – try our recipe for akara. Other beans based dishes include moinmoin (a steamed bean pudding to which can be added corned beef, smoked fish, and strips of chicken); dan wake (made from beans flour, cassava or wheat flour, baking soda/kuka and stock).
Yams and yam-based dishes
The West has ham and eggs (or green eggs and ham); Nigerians have yam and eggs. Nigerians also have yam in eggs, yam in stews and yam on its own. Yams for breakfast, yams for lunch and yams for dinner. Yams as a snack (ojojo/yam fritters). Such is the versatility of the humble yam. You can clothe it in batter (yamarita)and fry it, or you can mash it (yam balls), barbecue it or pop it in your stews (asaro).
Meat dishes
“Food no get value if meat no dey on top” Gabriel Afolayan
Nigerians love their meat – it’s difficult to find a Nigerian vegetarian (which doesn’t mean they don’t exist – I am one). Here are the main meat dishes to know about:
Asun–smoked and spicy goat meat and skin sautéed in a variety of spices.
Isi ewu – a traditional Igbo meat delicacy that is made from goat head. It is prepared by steaming goat head that has been spiced with ingredients such as habanero peppers, ehu seeds, utazi, ehuru, and palm oil. Nkwobi is similar but made from cow feet rather than from goat head.
Suya – Nigeria’s street-food equivalent of a kebab, suya is extremely popular. The suya meat (usually beef) is threaded on a skewer and spiced with a special peanut-based seasoning (yaji).
Love suya? Read this: Where to Eat Suya in London
Balangu – a suya alternative, balangu is boneless beef grilled in its fat. It’s eaten mostly in northern Nigeria. Like suya, it’s seen as street food, served in brown paper or newspaper together with onions or rice cake (masa).
Kilishi – the dried version of suya, kilishi (a peanut beef-jerky) is typically eaten with garri.
Dambu nama – a meat-based snack made from fried shredded meat with suya spices.
Nkwobi – spicy cow feet. This is a delicacy eaten mostly in Eastern Nigeria.
Peppered ponmo – ponmo is cow skin that has been processed for consumption. Its lack of flavour makes it ideal for mopping up the full, rich flavours of the myriad Nigerian soups and stews.
Nigerian snacks
Nigeria has a variety of savoury and sweet snacks, for example:
Meat pie – made with minced meat and vegetables such as carrots, onions and potatoes.
Chin chin – a sweet snack made from fried dough. Goes well with a good film.
Puff puff – a savoury or sweet snack, made from a simple batter (flour, yeast, warm water). You can easily make puff puff at home.
Boli – a tasty, savoury snack that’s essentially roasted plantain; usually served with a pepper sauce, but you can serve it with anything that takes your fancy.
Awara (Nigerian tofu)– often mistaken for cheese, awara is made by adding a coagulant such as lime juice to fresh milk.
Ipekere – fried plantain chips – Nigeria’s equivalent of crisps. Delicious savoury or sweet, and best made from unripe plantains.
Kuli kuli – a deep-fried (it can be baked) northern Nigeria snack made from a base of groundnuts, which are dry roasted and then blended into a paste, to which is added a variety of seasonings. Moreish.
Coconut candy – a popular, addictive sweet snack made from coconut milk, powdered sugar and coconut shavings. Surprisingly, not too sweet!
Nigerian drinks
Ogogoro – not exactly vodka, but close enough (it is extracted from palm wine). Ogogoro goes by a variety of names, including kai-kai, sapele water, shekpe, kparaga, kpuru achia, and ‘push-me-I-push-you’ (only Nigerians will understand the humour of the last moniker). Look out for Pedro’s – Nigeria’s first premium ogogoro brand.
Pami (palm wine) – a fermented drink extracted from the sap of different palm wine trees. Palm wine is usually served chilled and is associated mostly with the southern and eastern parts of Nigeria. It’s known as emu among the Yorubas, gya among the Hausas and mmanya ocha among the Igbos.
Fura da nono – a cold drink prepared from a combination of millet dough balls (fura) and fermented cow milk (nono) or yogurt. It is associated with the Fulani people of Northern Nigeria.
Kunun zaki – a popular grain-based beverage in Northern Nigeria made from millet or wheat that is infused with spices (ginger, cloves and black pepper) and sweetened with honey.
Zobo – a popular Nigerian drink made from dried Hibiscus flower; said to have numerous health benefits.
I hope you are inspired by the rich variety of Nigerian food and drink. I am!
Sources – Google Ars and Culture| Wikipedia
