Thankfully, people engage in interstate and regional movement bringing with them their culture and cuisines to other parts of the country. Moreover, especially in cities, it is common to come across local restaurants that serve food from other regions of the country, so the food adventurer may have his cravings somewhat satisfied without embarking on a journey.
However, with the abundance of food varieties in the country – don’t forget we are a people of more 200 different culture – it is possible for an individual to clock 100 years without having a taste of certain region’s food. It is also conceivable that most food adventurers could not possibly eat all the available food types we have, and we are not even talking about emerging dishes here, just the traditional ones, prepared using the recipes handed down by our grannies.
Having said that, not everyone has the urge to experiment and that is fine, there is nothing wrong with having a strict and restricted meal plan, yet I hasten to add that a little bit of food adventure doesn’t hurt anyone.
My take on it is this, there are certain Nigeria dishes that every Nigerian, irrespective of their geographic location, political inclination or cultural affiliation should try at least once in their lifetime but preferable before they get married. That’s because once you get hitched, chances are that your habit will be modulated by that of your significant other. And if they aren’t keen to indulge your sense of adventure, well you just might never get another chance. Pun intended.
Moreover, it’s not like these foods are terribly expensive, the ingredients are locally sourced and readily available in our markets, so if you don’t fancy eating out you could maybe prepare them by yourself. Recipes are easily available online. Furthermore, I plan to be sharing with you some of my favourite recipes. So, don’t forget to keep checking out the blog.
Top 10 Nigerian food to try at least once in your lifetime
1. Nkwobi
Nkwobi is cooked spicy cow leg in palm oil paste popularly served after or before the main meal in eastern Nigeria. It is similar to isi ewu or ngwongwo and it is a very common delicacy among the Igbos. A good number of Nigerian men visit Igbo restaurants on Friday nights to enjoy Nkwobi or its cousin, isiewu. The taste is best experienced than described and I encourage you to go give it a try if you haven’t done so yet. I promise you, you would be hooked.
2. Starch and banga soup
Once upon a time, a woman from the southwestern part of Nigeria travelled to a state in the south-south just for the purpose of having the correct taste of banga and starch. Banga Soup is well-known in the southern part of Nigeria. The soup is often taken with starch and is a very delicious food common to the Urhobo and Isoko people.
3. Amala with gbegiri and ewedu
Walking down the streets of Oyo State, in the mouths of multitudes is the taste of Amala with gbegiri and ewedu which they fondly call gbegiri and ewedu. Most people from Oyo unabashedly refer to this meal as their most favourite and heaven-sent meal. The meal is absolute goodness, especially when served with meat offals, popularly called assorted meat.
4. Fisherman soup
Fisherman soup is a delicacy that can be enjoyed in Uyo and other towns in Akwa Ibom State. It is a highly proteinous meal containing fresh seafood just as can be implied from its name. Its major ingredients are okra, vegetables, shrimps, crabs and fish.
5. Tuwo shinkafa and miyan kuka
Miyan kuka, also known as Luru soup is a type of Nigerian dish from the northern part of Nigeria. The soup is made from powdered baobab leaves and dried okra. It is often served along tuwo shinkafa which roughly translates to rice pudding in English. Tuwo shinkafa tastes awesome and the taste of the tomato beef stew combined with the Miyan kuka draw soup is extremely tasty and mouth-watering.
6. Okoho soup
Okoho soup is a draw soup native to the Idoma people of Benue state. Just like ogbono and okra, it is a draw soup however, it draws so much that sometimes one might be tempted to cut the soup with a pair of scissors. Its basic ingredient is the okoho stem. It is also regarded as a medicinal soup and it’s best eaten with pounded yam.
7. Abacha (African salad)
African salad is a very popular meal in the eastern part of Nigeria often served as an early evening snack. Having a taste of this delicacy which is made from cassava is inevitable for anyone who visits this part of the country. However, you do not have to go the east to have a taste of abacha as it is commonly served in many joints in other states
8. Ikokore
Ikokore, also known as ifokore, is a yam pottage dish made with water yam (Isu Ewura) instead of the normal puna (white yam). It is a pottage recipe from the Ijebu people of Ogun state, Nigeria. It is highly delicious and loved by the people of Ijebu land.
9. Ofe Owerri
Back to the eastern part of Nigeria, Ofe Owerri is one of the most expensive soups in Nigeria. This king of soups belongs to the people of Owerri and to prepare this pot of soup, you would spend between N4,000 and N10, 000. Ofe Owerri contains varieties of vegetables, meat, fish and prawns, etc.
10. Ekpang nkwukwo
Ekpang nkwukwo is native to South-South and Eastern Nigeria. It’s a one-pot meal made from either grated cocoyams, Water yams or a mixture of both, rolled in fruited pumpkin (ugu) or cocoyam leaves and cooked with different assorted meat or fish such as chicken, beef, periwinkles, dried fish and stockfish.
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