Nigeria
Smoky jollof, peppery stews, pounded yam and suya street grills.
Iconic recipes
Smoky Jollof Rice
The pride of West Africa — long-grain rice slow-cooked in a deeply spiced tomato-pepper base until each grain glows red.
Suya Beef Skewers
Thinly sliced beef coated in spicy peanut yaji and grilled over open flame — Nigeria's iconic street food.
Egusi Soup
Rich, nutty soup of ground melon seeds simmered with palm oil, leafy greens and assorted meats — eaten with pounded yam or fufu.
Pounded Yam & Efo Riro
Silky pounded yam paired with efo riro — a vibrant Yoruba spinach stew built on palm oil, peppers and assorted proteins.
Moi Moi
Steamed bean pudding of blended peeled black-eyed peas, peppers and palm oil — pillowy, savoury and party-table essential.
Puff Puff
Golden, airy yeast-risen dough balls — Nigeria's beloved street snack, lightly sweet and crisp on the outside.
Akara Bean Fritters
Crispy deep-fried fritters of whipped peeled beans, onion and pepper — classic with pap or fresh bread.
Amala, Ewedu & Gbegiri
The Yoruba 'abula' trio — smooth yam-flour amala paired with slippery jute-leaf ewedu and silky beans gbegiri, crowned with peppery stew.
Ofada Rice & Ayamase
Nutty unpolished Ofada rice with 'designer stew' — green bell peppers and habaneros bleached in palm oil with assorted meats and iru.
Asun (Peppered Goat)
Smoky grilled goat meat tossed in fiery scotch bonnet, onion and bell pepper — the party plate of Ondo and the Yoruba west.
Ofe Nsala (White Soup)
Anambra's pale, peppery catfish soup thickened with pounded yam paste and perfumed with utazi and uziza — no palm oil, no tomato.
Nkwobi
Igbo palm-oil cow-foot delicacy — gelatinous beef bathed in thick ngu (potash) palm-oil sauce, utazi and onion, served in carved wooden bowls.
Abacha & Ugba (African Salad)
Igbo cassava shavings tossed with fermented oil-bean ugba, palm-oil paste, garden eggs and smoked fish — a beloved no-cook delicacy.
Ofe Onugbu (Bitter Leaf Soup)
Classic Igbo soup of washed bitter leaves and cocoyam-thickened broth, rich with assorted meats, stockfish and palm oil.
Banga Soup
Urhobo/Itsekiri palm-fruit soup — fresh palm-nut cream simmered with catfish, beef and a fragrant blend of banga spices and oburunbebe stick.
Edikang Ikong
The luxurious Efik vegetable soup of fluted pumpkin (ugu) and waterleaf, packed with assorted proteins and very little water — vegetables cook in their own juice.
Afang Soup
Ibibio/Efik soup of finely sliced afang (okazi) leaves loosened with waterleaf, palm oil, periwinkles and assorted meats.
Tuwo Shinkafa & Miyan Kuka
Soft northern rice pudding paired with miyan kuka — a deep-green baobab-leaf soup thickened to silk with kalwa (dried okra) and beef.
Masa (Waina)
Northern rice pancakes — soaked rice ground with yeast and ferment-leavened, then cooked in a dimpled pan into golden cushions, eaten with honey or yaji.
Miyan Taushe
Hausa pumpkin and groundnut soup — silky purée of roasted pumpkin enriched with peanut butter, spinach and dried fish.
Kilishi
Northern Nigeria's spiced beef jerky — paper-thin beef sun-cured, coated in peanut-yaji paste and roasted to smoky, fiery sweetness.
Zobo (Hibiscus Drink)
Deep-crimson hibiscus infusion spiced with ginger, cloves and pineapple — Nigeria's most-loved party drink.
Kunu Aya (Tiger Nut Milk)
Creamy Northern Nigerian drink of soaked tiger nuts blended with dates and coconut — served ice-cold.
Kunu Zaki (Millet Drink)
Hausa fermented millet drink with ginger, cloves and sweet potato — tangy, spiced and lightly sour.
Fura da Nono (Fulani Millet & Milk)
Fulani herders' meal-in-a-cup — spiced millet dough balls broken into tangy fermented cow's milk.
Chapman Cocktail
Lagos-born non-alcoholic party cocktail: red Fanta and Sprite lengthened with grenadine, Angostura and cucumber.
Palm Wine (Emu / Nkwu Enu)
Fresh raffia-palm sap left to ferment naturally — Nigeria's oldest ceremonial drink, milky and effervescent.
Burukutu (Millet Beer)
Middle Belt sorghum-and-millet brew fermented in clay pots — cloudy, tart and mildly alcoholic.
Ogbono Soup
Igbo draw-soup thickened with ground wild-mango seeds — glossy, savoury and eaten with fufu.
Ofe Oha (Ora Soup)
Igbo delicacy of tender oha leaves in a cocoyam-thickened palm-oil broth — festive and deeply aromatic.
Ukwa (Breadfruit Porridge)
Igbo dry-season delicacy of African breadfruit seeds simmered with dried fish, crayfish and palm oil.
Isi Ewu (Spicy Goat Head)
Igbo delicacy of tender goat-head meat tossed in a palm-oil sauce with utazi, ehu seed and potash — iconic bar food.
Ekpang Nkukwo
Efik pot-baked delicacy — grated cocoyam wrapped in cocoyam leaves and steamed with palm oil, periwinkles and dried fish.
Editan Soup
Bitter-leaf-like Efik soup of chopped editan and water leaves in a rich palm-oil broth with periwinkles and stockfish.
Atama Soup
Efik-Ibibio banga-style soup perfumed with dried atama leaf — palm-fruit rich with periwinkles and bushmeat.
Owo Soup
Bright-orange Itsekiri/Edo palm-oil soup thickened with potash and starch — the classic partner to starch and boiled yam.
Edo Black Soup (Omoebe)
Deep-green Edo herbal soup blending bitterleaf, scent leaf and uziza with palm oil, dried fish and assorted meat.
Starch & Banga Soup
Urhobo signature — glossy yellow cassava starch swallow eaten with palm-fruit banga soup.
Rivers Fisherman Soup
Ijaw seafood pepper-soup piled with fresh fish, prawns, crab and periwinkles in a fiery uziza broth.
Miyan Kubewa (Dried Okra Soup)
Hausa dry-season soup of ground dried okra in a peppery tomato-and-locust-bean broth — eaten with tuwo.
Dan Wake (Bean Dumplings)
Hausa dumplings of bean flour dyed dark green with baobab-leaf powder, boiled and dressed with peppery oil.
Balangu (Hausa Grilled Meat)
Fresh-cut ram or beef grilled straight over open flames and dusted with yaji spice — Kano's most famous street grill.
Dambu Nama (Shredded Beef Floss)
Kanuri and Hausa spiced beef floss — meat boiled, pounded, then dry-fried with yaji until light and fluffy.
Miyan Karkashi
Hausa slippery-leaf soup of karkashi (jute leaves) simmered with dawadawa, dried fish and beef — eaten with tuwo.
Ewa Agoyin
Lagos street classic — soft mashed brown beans doused in a smoky pepper-and-palm-oil sauce, eaten with agege bread.
Kokoro (Crunchy Corn Sticks)
Yoruba roadside snack of sweetened cornmeal-and-gari sticks deep-fried to a hard, addictive crunch.
Ikokore (Water Yam Pottage)
Ijebu-Yoruba grated water-yam porridge cooked in palm oil with smoked fish and crayfish — soft, savoury and rustic.
Genger & Ruam (Tiv Sesame Soup)
Tiv sesame-seed soup thickened with ground beniseed and eaten with ruam kunu — pounded yam or rice fufu.
Dodo (Fried Plantain)
Sweet ripe plantains sliced and shallow-fried until caramelised — the universal Nigerian side.
Boli (Roast Plantain)
Firm plantains roasted whole over charcoal until charred and served with groundnuts and pepper sauce.
Chin Chin
Crunchy fried dough diamonds spiced with nutmeg — the party-bag staple in every Nigerian household.
Nigerian Meat Pie
Flaky handheld pies filled with peppered minced beef, potato and carrot — every bakery's bestseller.
Nigerian Buns
Dense, slightly sweet fried dough balls — a chewy roadside pairing for zobo or fura.