FOODS AND DRINKS

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FOODS AND DRINKS

INTRO

SOME MEALS

SOME DRINKS
RECIPES

RECIPES

LINKS
FOOD: BUYING & DINING

BUYING (ingredients and food)

DINING (restaurants)
HEALTHCARE

TRADITIONAL HEALTH

CURRENT HEALTH POLICY

INFO FOR TRAVELERS

CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

INTRO
SOME MEALS
SOME DRINKS

'Fast food' is becoming more popular in Nigeria, but for the most part, most people eat at home (or at a friend's). I'm not sure about other cultures, but in mine, when you cook, you don't cook for just you and your family, you also cook for anyone who may stop by.

I do not know how much of the foods and drinks listed below are enjoyed outside of the Yoruba culture. One of my future goals is to have food from other cultures on here, but I would need help with that. (For instance, what is "okpa"?)

Of course, the below is not an all-inclusive list of the foods that are available now, or even those that were available the last time I was there...it is just to give an idea of some of the foods available.

For meats, we have goat, cow, chicken, turkey, geese, guinea fowls, pigeon, fish, shrimp, crab, other seafood...

For fruits and vegetables, we have oranges, bananas, pineapples, tangerines, carrots, watermelons, guava, melons, limes, grape fruits, mangos, apple (NOT like an American apple though...they are tinier, and pink and white in color), peppers, tomatoes, onions, peas, and many other things.

A popular oil used for cooking is called palm oil, which is a reddish colored oil made from ground palm kernels.

The table below shows some of the meals and how they are prepared, and some of the ways that they are eaten.

Please note that

I try to use the names they are called in Nigeria minus the accents.
remember the alphabet? Well, since I don't want to draw up all my words, in the table below, e, o, and s will stand for the letters with the dots under them (but it might not be obvious if the title is also a link).
different foods listed under 'eaten with' means it can be with any of those, it does not necessarily mean it is eaten will ALL of those, though in some situations, a combination may be made.
this page describes the food. For how to make them, visit the recipes page, and for where to buy them or eat them (restaurants, etc.), visit the buying & eating page.

FOOD (click for recipe)	WAYS PREPARED (click for recipe)	EATEN WITH (click for description on this page)
obe (soup)	obe ata (pepper soup): thick sauce made by boiling ground tomatoes, ground pepper, meat or fish, meat broth or fish broth, onions, vegetable oil or palm oil, and other spices.	many many dishes
	efo (vegetable soup): similar to the above except that different types of leaves are added to it.	many many dishes
	obe egusi (plain): This is made by grinding melon seeds, and then cooking it with the meat and spices. It usually ends up being yellowish-orange in color.	many many dishes
	obe egusi (with efo): Similar to the above except that different types of leaves are added to it.	many many dishes
'soup extras': the following are also soups that are usually eaten in addition to pepper soup with the meals they are eaten with	ewedu: green leaves chopped up and boiled in water, usually has a slippery texture.	eba, amala, funfun, farina, iyan...
	ila: okra cut up into small pieces, and boiled in water, also has a slippery texture.	eba, amala, funfun, farina, iyan...
	apon/ogbono: made from boiling ground oro seeds in water, also ends up having a slippery texture.	eba, amala, funfun, farina, iyan...
iresi (rice)	white: rice cooked or steamed in water, then usually covered with soup.	beans, plantains, meat, ...
	jollof rice: rice cooked (or baked) with ground tomatoes, peppers, sometimes meat and vegetables, other spices, and comes out reddish in color.	beans, plantains, meat, ...
	fried rice: rice cooked in oils, vegetables, meats, and spices.	beans, plantains, meat, ...
ewa (beans)	regular: the beans are cooked with ground tomatoes, ground peppers, and spices. Sometimes cooked in combination with maize, or rice, with or without soup.	rice, plantains, yams, ogi, bread, ...
	moyin-moyin: the beans are skinned and ground, then mixed with ground tomatoes and ground peppers, meats, vegetables, eggs and spices, then put in either aluminum foil or aluminum cans, steamed in a large pot, then taken out and cooled.	alone, with rice, or at breakfast time with ogi
	akara: the beans are skinned and ground, then mixed with ground tomatoes and ground peppers and spices, then fried in vegetable or palm oil	usually eaten at breakfast time, sometimes with ogi
isu (yam - there are at least three different kinds, the white ones, the yellow ones, and the 'water yams'. Note: this is NOT what most Americans know as "yams".)	boiled plain: White or yellow yams are peeled, sliced up, usually into pieces about 3 centimeters, and boiled in water with salt	vegetable oil, palm oil, eggs, beans, soup,...
	fried: White or yellow yams are cut up into long thin squares and fried in vegetable oil or palm oil.	usually by itself or as a side in a meal
	ojoj o: Water yams are cut up and fried in vegetable oil or palm oil.	usually by itself or as a side in a meal
	asaro: White or yellow yams are peeled, sliced, and diced into small cubes, then cooked with ground tomatoes, peppers, sometimes meat, other spices, and comes out reddish in color.	usually by itself
	ikokore: It is similar to asaro but made with a different type of yam called 'water yam' that is softer in texture, and when cooked, usually comes out more brownish in color.	usually by itself
	iyan (pounded yam): The yams are peeled, and ground up on a mortar. Then this 'powder' is placed into boiling water until it has a thick smooth structure. Nowadays, you can bypass the grounding stage by buying the 'pounded yam flour', and putting this in boiling water to make something which is close enough for some people, but not for others.	with soup
	amala: dish made from yams, but first, the yams are ground and dried to form a powder. This powder is then put into boiling water, and stirred/beaten until it has a thick smooth structure. The cooked product ends up being very dark brown in color.	with soup
ogede (plaintain - those things that look like bigger bananas)	dodo: sliced or diced plantains, fried in vegetable oil (some like them yellow, some like them brown)	rice, beans, eggs, by itself...
	boli: plantains baked whole in the oven	rice, beans, eggs, by itself...
gari ('grain' made from the root of the cassava plant. This part is peeled, ground, soaked, sieved, and then dried out)	dried: as is	sprinkled over cooked beans
	with water: the gari soaked in water, sugar and/or milk sometimes added if desired	as a snack, or alongside with beans.
	eba: the gari is put in boiling water and stirred/beat until it has a thick smooth texture.	with soup.
funfun	dish also made from the cassava plant. The plant is peeled, ground, , soaked sieved, then put under a heavy material to get all the moisture out of it, to form a powder. Then, the funfun is made from putting this powder in some boiling water, and stirring/beating it until it has a thick smooth texture.	with soup.
maize (yellow corn)	boiled: the corn is still on the cob, and boiled in water and salt
	roasted: the corn is still on the cob, and it is roasted in the oven, or on a grill until it is brown
	adalu: the corn is off the cob, and boiled with beans	usually covered with pepper soup
	tuwo: the corn is ground into a powder, then put in boiling water and stirred/beat until it has a thick smooth texture.	with soup.
	ogi: dish made from corn. The corn is ground and dried, and made into a powder. Then this powder is placed in boiling water, and cooked until it has a thin smooth structure. Nowadays, you may be able to bypass the grinding stage and buy powder than you can use to make ogi on a stove or a microwave.	usually at breakfast time, by itself, or with beans, or with akara, or with moyin- moyin
	aadun: the corn is ground, and mixed with ground red pepper. Then oil is added, and it is put in ewe (those green leaves that things can be cooked in) and cooked or baked. It ends up being very spicy (hot) in nature.	as a snack
	kokoro: the corn is ground, then mixed with some ingredients, then rolled into long (about 30 cm) thin (about 1 cm) sticks and fried in vegetable oil.	as a snack
suya	Pieces of meat are spiced up, and then baked over a grill on a stick with vegetables (like kabob, but it's usually much hotter)	As a snack, or as the side to a meal.
puff-puff	snack made from deep frying a dough mixture into circular balls	as a snack, sometimes dipped in sugar
sausage rolls	cooked sausage is rolled up in a pastry, and baked in the oven.	as a snack
meat pies	seasoned meat, potatoes, and other vegetables and placed in a pastry, and the whole thing is baked.	as a snack
chin chin	Some dough is kneaded, then rolled flat, then cut up into small squares, and fried in oil.	as a snack
scotch eggs	a mixture of some ingredients are put together, and then hard-boiled eggs are rolled up into them, and the eggs are baked.	as a snack
groundnuts	shelled peanuts (as called in America anyway)	raw, or boiled in salt water, or roasted (eaten after the shells are removed of course)
other nuts	cashews, pecans, and others
Here are descriptions of "Cola Nuts" and their symbolism (in the appropriate ethnic groups) as explained by a visitor: Cola nuts: Some colanuts have two carpsels, some three, some four some five, and some six which is the highest number of carpsels they can have. Usually we use the one with four carpsels. It is the one with four carpsels that are most usable. They are used for both good and bad medicines. By introducing them to the child, we pray for the child not to use it negatively against anybody neither will anybody use it negatively against him. Bitter cola: This has the same reason as the colanut above. Obi is used to symbolizes long life in a marriage. It is wishing the couple a long life together. It is broken and passed around to all the well-wishers present for the ceremony. Everyone takes a small bite.

Here are some of the available drinks:

DRINK	DESCRIPTION
water
palm wine	a drink made from the juices of palm trees
minerals (soft drinks)	also known elsewhere as 'pop', or 'soda'.
fruit drinks	pineapple juices, orange juices, etc.
beer	both local and imported, usually in bottles rather than cans
wine	both local and imported
zobo	As explained by a visitor - "Zobo is a red drink and it tastes like fruit punch. I guess that primarily Hausas drink it. They boil these leaves to make a concentrated flavored liquid, then add sugar...then they add some flavorings (of their choice), maybe strawberry or raspberry, vanilla or banana... Then they add more water to it, and make the finished product...Zobo!"