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Nigerian cuisine is excellent. Very hearty and full of carbohydrates and meat. We really don’t believe in all the fad diets that seem to be so prevalent in first world countries. In fact, one should realise that for most people, it is a fortunate thing to be able to afford three square meals a day.
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A diet is usually accidental because the wages are so low, it becomes impossible to eat well. It’s really a first world problem to have so much waste and choice. There are three major tribes in Nigeria. The Yorubas are in the South. The two other major tribes are Igbo in the East, and Hausa in the North. They have their own different food and ingredients that l am not familiar with, and for the purposes of this post, I will focus on the food of the Yorubas as that is my tribe.
African Food : Nigerian Food
You will find a lot of similarities between countries in Africa. The climate tends to be the same which therefore means the same staples grow. What differs is usually how the food is prepared and the spices employed in the African recipes.
Another common bond is pepper. I’m not sure why we don’t consider something edible until it is so spicy, you cry as you eat. I know in Nigeria, a lot of men eat with a cold towel on their head to cool off from eating insanely spicy food. It is also common to hear the oohs aahs as they try to catch their breath. Insane.
Nigerian Dishes: The best and local Yoruba food favourites
- Iyan
- Eba
- Amala
- Rice
- Bread Agege
- Moin Moin
- Yam
- Meat Pie
The Nigerian food culture is starch, starch and more starch.Here are some of the most favourite Nigerian dishes of locals, for lunch, dinner and our breakfast staple. African dishes like these will be served at both restaurants and on the street. Most people eat street food and restaurant eating is
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Nigerian Cuisine:
Iyan and Obe: (Obe ati ‘Yan)
In the good old days, Iyan (Yam) was pounded in an authentic wooden container mortar and pestle called Odo. It is a very labor intensive process as the yam has to be broken down and pounded until it has a consistency similar to the one below, something that can take an hour!
The end result is absolutely delicious and is a staple of Nigerian food. It is also a street food that one can get at stall on the side of the road. If you’re lucky enough to eat Iyan, you should.
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Moin-Moin is a staple of Nigerian Cuisine
Moin moin is a kind of bean pudding. Black eyed peas are soaked, peeled and cooked in a mixture of onions, and peppers. This mixture is folded into leaves and steam cooked (you can also add sardines, boiled eggs etc) into your mixture. It goes on to form a solid protein rich meal that can be eaten alone, with bread, custard, rice or whatever your heart desires.
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Bread:
Agege Bread: This is another staple for all Nigerians. The bread is a sweet, soft, chewy and extremely delicious bread. I am positive it’s not great for you, but l don’t care. It is perfect with butter, eggs, and other foods like a moin moin sandwich. There is no bad way to eat Agege bread. It is something l miss with a passion.
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Related: Favorite Nigerian Snacks
Eba:
Another local favorite of Nigerian cuisine. Eba is fried and grated cassava flour that is called Gari. Gari itself is perfect as a dish combined with moin moin or just peanuts. The gari is blended by hand over a hot stove with boiling water to a solid state free of “konko” (clumps). Once again, it is eaten with all sorts of stew.
Meat Pie:
This is technically a Nigerian snack, but a lot of people eat it as a meal. Similar to ones in Jamaica and other countries, a meat pie is a pastry filled with minced meat, potatoes, peas and spices and baked to a golden colour. It is hearty and delicious and makes a perfectly fine meal.
Amala:
Amala is a top Nigerian food that is made with yam or cassava flour. When yam which is originally white in colour is dried, it takes on a brown colour. The flour called Elubo is then blended over a hot stove in boiling water to form the amala. Amala is served with a stew, anything from ila (leaves), to okra, to egusi (melon seed).
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Jollof Rice:
You will find jollof at any Nigerian celebration, from birthdays to weddings to funerals. This is plain white rice in a rich red stew base and mixed with different condiments like fish, carrots, boiled eggs and whatever you like. There is a fisherman jollof rice that is similar to Spanish paella in that it has seafood in it.
There is plain jollof, like in the below image, and another favourite of mine, coconut jollof rice. You just can’t go wrong. It is not only popular in Nigeria, but in other West African countries and each country of course thinks they have the best jollof. It is served either alone, or with plantain, meat, veggies etc..
Yam:
The very same yam that is used to make all these Nigerian dishes is also awesome on its own. Simply sliced and boiled yam with a little bit of salt and you can pair with plain stew or fried egg as in the top image. This can also be eaten for breakfast.
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What do you think of these Nigerian meals and dishes ? Does anything strike you as appetizing? Would you be willing to try them or have you had a chance to try any? It would be nice to hear your thoughts.
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Funny the similarities with other cuisine. Lissette is Latina, so fried plantain was always something she made back in Montreal. Love that. Your dishes also remind me of similarities in Zambia when we would eat nshima with different meat or vegetable sauces.
Enjoy your travels!
Frank (bbqboy)
Yep, l think there are definitely similarities across the board. Plantain to me is the nectar of the gods 🙂 and l have a strong suspicion of anyone who hates it. Thank God l have only met a couple :-). Can’t wait to see what you get up to in S.A!!!
Ah, I was so happy to read this on a full stomach… but it still made me drool and now I’m hungry :)) The dodo looks amazing indeed and I am sure it’s delicious, but I would also hit that meat pie like a hungry zombie finding some brains :)) Actually, I am sure I’d enjoy everything on your list – especially trying to eat that sauce with my hands. I am sure it’s an experience!
Haha! C! I am always glad when the pictures make you drool. Dodo is simply the best in the world. You can eat them in so many ways, it is so delicious roasted on an open fire, salted and dipped in oil and peanuts. You can steam it, and there is a part of a Nigeria where they mix it with honey mixture. It’s called Dodo Ikire after the city. It is mouthwatering. I love what you said about the meat pie !!! 🙂
I have to admit that since now I had no idea about Nigerian food! I’ll search for some simpler recipes! It’s time to try something new! 🙂
Good! Glad to hear it. I know dodo for instance has many recipes, but this one is simple to make, believe me, if l can do it..anyone can. You just need to cut it, salt it if you want (l don’t) and fry it till golden, flip..golden again..and that’s it. Let me know how you like it ! 🙂
Like reader C. the Romanian, I’m drooling! Oh, yum! Of what you’ve listed, we have incorporated goat and plantains into our home’s meals. Fried, sweet plantains are simply the best! I agree! All the food looks delicious, I wish I had some, and maybe your cook wants to come live in South Dakota. (Bring a coat. We’re heading into six months of winter…) 🙂 Happy travels to you! —Terri
I love droolers..haha!!! 🙂 . Don’t you just love goat meat?? And l agree that plantain is the best…ever!!!! I’m so glad you love it too. You would have to fight my sister for her cook..but l’m sure if she had a chance, she would be in S.D in the blink of an eye..cold or no cold 🙂 . Yikes! 6 months though 🙁 . I don’t miss my Boston years..
You have been everywhere!
And yes, I took a liking to goat. It’s not too common here, you know!
The yam dishes were new and intriguing to me that you showed.
Good night!
Haha! No..it just seems like that 🙂 , but l did finish high school and college in Boston. Yam is great, just slice, salt and boil (not too much water). They say the goodness is on the peel, and people eat it as long as you scrub it before cooking, but l don’t like it. I prefer it peeled. You can do sweet potatoes like that too. I love that as well.
Your pictures had me drooling, I miss Naija! I was there about 6 months ago but only for a week which is never enough;-)
I am Ibo but grew up and schooled in the West- Ogun, Oyo and Lagos states so I have eaten and loved all the food shown. Yes almost everything is stew based 🙂 but in the East change that to vegetable based- Onugu, Okazi, edikangkong, afang, ofe owerri, Oha soups; I could go on all day. All absolutely delicious and great for getting your greens in!
Right now I’m dreaming of suya with lots of chopped tomatoes, onions and dried red pepper. Oh and agege bread with fried fish.
Just curious, does your husband eat these foods?
Happy and safe travels!
I haven’t had Suya in this trip yet, l have to rectify that. I only had it for the first time last year..imagine that!!! I didn’t know that there were a lot of veggie based stews apart from efo which l am not very fond of. I am very glad the pictures are making everyone drool. I must admit that even though l had eaten them, just loading the pictures while posting made me want them all over again..haha! I am missing others like snail and akara which to me is fantastic with the Agege bread..akara sandwich :-). Federico loves the food, and is always willing to try new stuff. He loves eba which l detest! He does however refuse to eat snail (doesn’t know what he’s missing) and his stew has to be less spicy than what is normal for our cooking 🙂 . Hope you get to go back soon for some food..
OMG, drooling over here! Fried plantaines are actually one of my favorites! I’ve never attempted to make them myself, but surely love them at Dominican restaurants! Will have to try a Nigerian restaurant, soon!
So glad you like plantains 🙂 . It’s wonderful isn’t it? It’s about the only thing l can make because it’s so..so..easy..slice and fry in hot vegetable oil. You most definitely have to try a Nigerian restaurant. Iyan is awesome 🙂 🙂 .
Ack! I know better than to read your posts without eating soon. I so want some bread and stew right now. I had goat stew in Curacao and loved it! Great post and pictures Kemkem!
I want some bread and stew right now too 🙂 . That bread is so so good and soft. I like the simple things. I’m enjoying Indian food right now, Fede..not so much 🙁 . Thanks for the compliment. Goat meat and snails and l’m a happy camper. The chicken is not so bad either, no antibiotics etc.. 🙂 . Hope you are doing better!!!
I am all better and getting back into the groove of blogging life… I think 😉 haha
Glad to hear it 🙂
The jollof rice dish looks like it would be my favorite…and the bread. I’m a sucker for good bread. I’m in beautiful Colombia right now and the bread here is lacking. Wow – I can’t wait to read about India and more about your visit home to Nigeria. Kudos to you for blogging on the road. Wishing you safe travels!
Ooohh .. I can’t wait to read about your adventures!!! I don’t know if l can write more on the road. If it happens, fine..if not l gave to just save them till after the trips. Oh, the bread is just simply fantastic. Safe travels to you as well, and you would love jollof rice.. 🙂
‘Loving it! I’m not a fan of spice but the plantains (as long as they aren’t so ripe and perhaps, even green) are a delight as well as the okras. I don’t like American creole food as everything is mixed together in rice. Yuk! But in a seperate sauce with a little salt, is quite alright!
Oh my God, you are like my sister, she likes the just ripe ones while l love the duper ripe ones that are very sweet! You would love the Puerto Rican tostones then, they use the green ones..nope..don’t like then.. 🙂 . I have always loved okra over the other greens like spinach when mixed with the stew, and like you..l prefer things separate for me to mix myself. Getting hungry all over again..hah hah!!!
I’d love to meet your sister one day. She sounds as nice as you…!
p.s. I have a thing about food. As soon as it’s mixed by somebody else, I just can’t eat it! I always have to have sauces on the side and not on top of the dish. Going to a university café in Germany is a dilemma for me as the “dinnerladies” are very fond of trickling sauce all over the food and I can’t stand it LOL!
That is such a weird quirk to have..I can see you breaking out in hives at the cafeteria..haha..especially when they do it without asking :-). I think you would like my sister also..glad you think l’m nice..hahahah!!! 😉
wow looks amazing! There was one suspicious looking item next to stew that you said wasn’t your favorite growing up that I have no idea what it is, and looks, um, kind of scary. 🙂
Hahah! You mean the Amala! I totally hated it as a kid, and l do think it has to do with the color, a very dark gray that almost looked like medicine instead of food so l never gave it a chance. Now, l see that l judged it too harshly, it is the favorite of 6 out if 8 kids of my mom, and my nieces and nephews..at least 90% claim it as their favorite and are always sneaking it in their luggage when they fly..hah hah! I don’t like it that much 🙂 .
Ive had moi moi its yummy and jollof rice is delicious…my hubby is igbo so ive been nigeria numerous times…i love the food.. omg had coconut rice it was out of this world yummy
Oh my..you have me drooling again with the mention of food :-). I hope you enjoy Nigeria every time. It is quite exciting in a way isn’t it? Can you believe l have yet to eat coconut rice?? I can only imagine how good it is. I love the coconut balls, you know mixed with honey ones? They are dangerous for my teeth, but l gorge on them anyway ;-). Thanks a lot for commenting 🙂 .
Without a doubt fried plantain is my absolute favourite! I’m craving some right now but I can’t have any because a) I am at work b) plantain is not the easiest thing to find in Nairobi. Other than that the only other Nigerian meal I had had is Jollof rice. I would love to travel to Nigeria one day and experience everything you have posted about.
Aaahh..just the thought of fried plantain makes me want it right now, at 4 am!!! We landed in Houston yesterday and l am sure l will find plenty here, plantain and Malta :-). Let me know whenever you want to come to Naija..we will meet you there and have some serious food..and you can enjoy a wedding too.. 🙂
COMMENTI’ve always been curious about the Nigerian cuisine that’s why this is one of the dishes that I would like to try. I’m glad you shared this; the Iyan and Obe seem like an interesting dish since it’ll require very intensive labor for it to achieve that mouth-watering result. I wonder if there’s a restaurant that serves American n Nigerian meals.
Well it seems your Fusionvibes restaurant in Richardson does indeed serve such meals :-). There is a version of Iyan that comes pre-pounded and can be made in minutes. Good luck with the restaurant. I have friends in your area and will tell them of the restaurant.