Food is one of the most essential manifestations of every culture. Diverse countries are recognized for different types of food all around the world, and each one leaves its own distinct impression. Food helps bind people together and create a unique and unifying experience with one another.
If you’re passionate about food, you’ll want to go out and eat food from every culture. Since food is not simply a mirror of culture but also of history, it is a great way to learn about a certain country. Nigerian cuisine reflects the cuisines of the country’s ethnic groups. It bears many of the same qualities as its West African and Central African neighbors’ cuisines, such as Ghana, Benin, and Cameroon.
Naija Guide is your go-to destination for everything Nigeria. From travel guides to the most recent trends and news in Nigeria, you can keep yourself up-to-date with everything going on in the country. For the foodies out there, though, here are the top three Nigerian foods you have to try!
- Jollof rice
Jollof rice is a popular one-pot rice meal in several West African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo, and Gambia. Rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, pimento peppers, scotch bonnet peppers, salt, and other spices are used to make this dish.
Jollof rice is one of West Africa’s most popular foods. It is considered a national dish in Nigeria and is frequently eaten with meat such as chicken, turkey, beef, or fish. In West Africa, there are numerous varieties of jollof rice, the most well-known of which are the Nigerian and Ghanaian kinds.
- Pepper soup
Pepper soup is one of Africa’s most popular forms of soup. It’s a hot, watery soup cooked with peppers and other meats such as goat, chicken, oxtail, or fish. It’s a soothing Nigerian dish that’s commonly served with beer and consumed in numerous varieties in Ghana, Liberia, and in most other countries of western Africa.
This dish is regarded to have healing properties depending on the main ingredient used. If the soup uses chicken, it is believed to cure a range of ailments while if it is made with yam, it’s good for new mothers. This is because it is believed that yam pepper soup cleans the uterus and helps the mother produce milk.
- Efo riro
Another Yuroba-inspired Nigerian delicacy is efo riro. It’s a spinach stew made in one pot with red bell peppers, locust beans, onion, palm oil, African crayfish, and stockfish. It’s commonly cooked with Lagos spinach or African spinach and can include a variety of meats or seafood.
In Yoruba, efo means “spinach” and riro means ‘to stir,’ therefore efo riro approximately translates to ‘stirred spinach.’ It goes well with rice or a soft dish like eba, fufu, or pounded yam.
These are the top four Nigerian dishes you have to try when you visit Nigeria. Here at Naija guide, you can learn more about Nigerian culture as well as the global trends that shape it.