Fufu is a pounded meal found in West African cuisine. It is a Twi word that originates from the Akans in Ghana. The word has been expanded to include several variations of the pounded meal found in other African countries including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Angola and Gabon. It also includes variations in the Greater Antilles and Central America, where African culinary influence is high.
Ẹ̀bà (Yoruba) also known as Ebe or Pinon' is a staple swallow from Nigeria, Togo and Benin, also eaten in the West African sub-region and other African countries. The term èbà originates from Yoruba. It is a cooked starchy vegetable food made from dried grated cassava (manioc) flour commonly known as garri all across West Africa. It is often eaten with rich soups and stews, with beef, stockfish or mutton. The dish is often described as having a slightly sour, sharp taste.
Àmàlà is a staple swallow food originating from Nigeria popularized by the Yoruba ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria and other parts of Yorubaland. It is made of yam, cassava flour, or unripe plantain flour. Tubers of yams are peeled, sliced, cleaned, dried and then ground into flour. It is also called èlùbọ́. Yams are white in colour but turn brown when dried which gives àmàlà its colour. It is a popular side dish served with ewédú and gbẹ̀gìrì, but is also served with a variety of other ọbè (soups), such as ẹ̀fọ́, ilá, and ogbono.
Ghanaian cuisine refers to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are centered around starchy staple foods, accompanied by either a sauce or soup as well as a source of protein. The primary ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. As a result of these main ingredients, most Ghanaian jollof rice, soups, and stews appear red or orange.
Ogbono Soup is a Nigerian dish made with ground dry ogbono seeds. Ogbono seeds are originated and were first grown in Southern Nigeria with considerable local variation. According to research by Chris Chinaka and J.C. Obiefuna, Ogbono is an indigenous forest tree associated with plants classified as 'non-timber forest products. It goes by various indigenous names among Nigerians. The Common use of the word “ogbono” in general Nigerian parlance stems from the Igbo name for the word. Among the Nupe, it is called 'pekpeara', 'ogwi' in Bini, 'uyo' in Efik, and 'oro' or ‘apon’ in Yoruba. Although ogbono and ugiri, the Igbo name for bush-mango, are very similar indeed and often regarded as equivalents, there is technically a distinction.
Draw soup is the name of soups from the southeastern and southwestern parts of Nigeria that are made from okra, ogbono , or ewedu leaves (jute). The name derives from the thick viscosity characteristic of the broth as it draws out of the bowl when eaten either with a spoon or, more characteristically, by dipping a small piece of solid (fufu) into it. It can be served with numerous Nigerian fufu meals, including eba (garri) and pounded yam. Ewedu can be used to make a Yoruba soup that is traditionally served with amala.
Agenebode is a historical water-side town located by the banks of the Niger River in Edo State, South South part of Nigeria. It is the headquarters of Etsako-East local Gornment Area, The host of the local council and the traditional capital of Weppa Wanno Clan/Kingdom.
West African cuisine encompasses a diverse range of foods that are split between its 16 countries. In West Africa, many families grow and raise their own food, and within each there is a division of labor. Indigenous foods consist of a number of plant species and animals, and are important to those whose lifestyle depends on farming and hunting.
Nigerian cuisine consists of dishes or food items from the hundreds of Native African ethnic groups that comprises Nigeria. Like other West African cuisines, it uses spices and herbs with palm oil or groundnut oil to create deeply flavored sauces and soups.
Igbo cuisine is the various foods of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria.
Peanut soup or groundnut soup is a soup made from peanuts, often with various other ingredients. It is a staple in African cuisine but is also eaten in East Asia (Taiwan), the United States and other areas around the world. It is also common in some regions, such as Argentina's northwest, Bolivia and Peru, where it can sometimes be served with bone meat and hollow short pasta or fries. In Ghana it is often eaten with fufu, omo tuo and banku and is often very spicy. Groundnut soup is also a native soup of the Benin (Edo) people in Nigeria and it is often eaten with pounded yam. Some of the essential ingredients used in making it are ugu, oziza leaves, Piper guineense and Vernonia amygdalina.
Palm nut soup or banga is a soup made from palm fruit common in the Cameroonian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivorian communities. The soup is made from a palm cream or palm nut base with stewed marinated meats, smoked dried fish, and aromatics. It is often eaten with starch, fufu, omotuo, banku, fonio, or rice. The use of the palm fruit in cooking is significant in Ivorian, Cameronian, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian and other West and Central African cuisine.
Pounded yam is a Nigerian swallow or Okele food. It is commonly prepared by pounding boiled yam with mortar and pestle Pounded yam is similar to mashed potatoes but heavier in consistency. It is a smooth delicacy eaten with the hands.
Oghwo evwri is a soup eaten in the south-central region of Nigeria. It is common among the Urhobo and Isoko. The soup is made with Garri soaked in water after palm oil and potash mixture has been added. It is traditionally served at weddings in the Delta State; its absence at a wedding celebration is considered insulting to guests. It is also served at other traditional celebrations.
Eka soup, also known as ekuku, is a delicacy of three tribes in the Eastern region of Nigeria. It is prepared from mashed palm kernel, roasted groundnut and benne seeds. Eka soup is commonly eaten with starchy foods such as fufu. Eka Soup is a popular dish among the Idomas of Benue State, the Ogojas in Cross River and the Ibirams of Kogi state.
Pawpaw soup is a popular delicacy of one of the Tiv ethnic group of Nigeria, the soup is made up of dry pawpaw flakes, palm oil, beef and egusi.
Edo black soup also known as omoebe is a Nigerian soup made mainly from three leaves namely scent leaf, uziza leaf and bitter leaf. Other ingredients include beef, onion, crayfish, pepper and palm oil.
Potato fufu is a staple swallow food taken by the northern region of Nigeria. It is popular among the Yoruba tribe living in Kwara state. The swallow food is easy to make compared to pounded yam and its unique taste is why the food is prepared at weddings, parties and other occasions.
Yoruba cuisine is the numerous and diverse foods of the Yoruba people of Yorubaland. Some notable Yoruba food include; Ọ̀fadà, Àsáró, Mọ́í Mọ́í, Ẹ̀gúsí soup, Àbùlà, Àkàrà, Ilá Alásèpọ̀, Ẹ̀fọ́ rírò with Òkèlè, etc.
Okele, also known as "swallows" in pidgin Nigeria English, is a Yoruba food category for various starchy foods eaten with soups. Ingredients used to make okele include yam, fermented cassava, cassava granules with hot water, plantain, wheat flour, yam flour and cocoyam. Okele in Yoruba cuisine includes iyan, eba, fufu, amala, lafun, semo and pupuru.
