What makes the Food Culture in your City different from others?

Asides from the fact that Nigerian is made up of 3 Ethnic group, the Yorubas, the Igbos and the Hausas, there are more than 520 languages spoken in Nigeria according to the official data. When it comes to food and culture, Nigeria is well represented in that aspect.

Besides obvious dishes from the Yoruba’s (Pounded yam and Efo Riro) to the Igbo’s (White soup and starch) to the Hausas (Tuwo shinkafa), many other dishes in Nigeria have their own distinctive regional trademark. You can boldly say that many Nigerians have developed a rather globally encompassing attitude towards food.
For us in Nigeria, food and Hospitality is a major way of showing kindness and acceptance to visitors and people in its environs. Little wonder “Mark Zuckerberg” the founder of Facebook during his last visit to our beautiful country got stucked to our Nigerian “Jollof Rice”, in his own words ‘the Nigerian Jollof rice is delicious’.

Eating international dishes is not a problem for us in this part of the world, as we adapt to any culture wherever we find ourselves. But more importantly we take pride and joy in our diverse dishes, as there are benefits in a locally made delicacy.
There are many incredible recipes, handed down over time. In Yoruba land, ‘Amala’ and ‘Gbegiri’ with ‘Ewedu’, or pounded yam with ‘eforiro’ has a distinctive presence. The farmer grows lots of yam and there were orchards scattered here and there where vegetables are grown. Pounded yam is usually prepared with Yam of course, pounded to the finest level mixed with hot water in between. It can be eaten with any soup but many people prefer ‘Efo Riro’

While the list goes on endlessly there’s the Igbo’s popular recipe, ‘Ofe Nsala’ otherwise known as white soup, it’s a mouth watering delicacy peculiar in this part of the Nigeria culture. This white soup can be made with catfish or any other protein depending on your scale of preference. Palm Oil is not used for this kind of soup which makes it more unique. It can be taken with any type of swallow or eaten alone as the case maybe.
Tuwo shinkafa is a Nigeria dish which originates from the northern part of Nigeria, popular among the Hausa. It’s a thick pudding prepared from the scratch with short grain rice (local rice) but it can also be prepared with rice flour which is the fastest and easiest method. It’s usually served with different types of soups like Miyan Kuka. It’s a good substitute for Eba and Fufu.

There are lots of food chosen from local ingredients that have a distinctive story, whether invented or personal, local food help to define and give flavor to our place and culture.
What’s your local food?