Nsala soup, also known as white soup, and called ofe nsala by the Igbo people, [1] is a delicacy that originates from the eastern part of Nigeria. A major ingredient is catfish, which gives the soup a unique taste. It also contains small pieces of yam or cocoyam with utazi leaves. Nsala is similar to Afia Efere, which is common among the Efik ethnic group. [2]
The name white soup is used because palm oil is not used in its preparation, unlike other traditional soups.
The soup is flavoured with ogiri or iru, utazi, crayfish, yam, salt, seasoning, stock fish and dry fish. The soup is served with pounded yam, eba, semolina, semovita or any kind of morsel alongside water or preferred drink. [3]
The major ingredients of this soup are yam and catfish. Catfish is an essential requirement; sometimes other meats are also included including goat, chicken, and tripe. [4]
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, where African culinary influence is high.
Ẹ̀bà (Yoruba) also known as Ebe or Pinon' is a staple swallow from Togo and Benin, also eaten in the West African sub-region and other African countries. The term èbà originates from Yoruba. It is also called utara by the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria. 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.
Ghanaian cuisines refer to the meals of the Ghanaian people. The main dishes of Ghana are organized around starchy staple foods, accompanied by either sauce or soup as well as a source of protein. The main ingredients for the vast majority of soups and stews are tomatoes, hot peppers, and onions. Most Ghanaian soups and stews are red or orange in appearance as a result of the main ingredients used.
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.
Obomkpa is an Igbo town in the Aniocha North local government area of Delta State, Nigeria.
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 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 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 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.
Goat meat pepper soup, also referred to as nwo-nwo, ngwo-ngwo, and goat pepper soup, is a soup in Nigeria. Goat meat is used as a primary ingredient, and some versions may use crayfish. For variations boiled yams, potatoes, or plantains may be added. Versions of the soup may be spicy and hot. The soup is always served hot and is made with a blend of different spices which gives an intense spiciness and flavor to the soup. The dish has been described as being the most popular out of all the Nigerian pepper soups. It is a light soup that is often prepared without the use of oil, and may also be drunk in the style of a beverage. Owing to the ‘light’ texture of the soup, it is typically eaten alone but it can be accompanied by a side-dish known as agidi. White rice is also a common side-dish served with goat meat pepper soup. It has been described as pairing well with palm wine and beer.
Tom yum or tom yam is a family of hot and sour Thai soups. It is a soup that normally includes shrimp. The strong hot and sour flavors makes it very popular in Thai cuisine. The name "tom yam" is composed of two Thai words. Tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means 'mixed'.
Edikang ikong is a vegetable soup that originated among the Efik people of Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State in Southsouthern Nigeria. It is considered to be a delicacy among some Nigerians, and is sometimes served during occasions of importance. Edikang ikong is a nutritious soup and expensive to prepare, and has been described as being mostly eaten by rich people in Nigeria. Ingredients used in edikang ikong include beef and dried fish, bush meat, crayfish, shaki, kanda, pumpkin leaves, water leaves, ugu, onion, periwinkle, palm oil, salt and pepper.
Ofe Oha is a soup mostly eaten in the south eastern part of Nigeria.
Pounded yam or Iyán (Yoruba) or Ruam-Yo (Tiv) is a Nigerian swallow food native to the Yoruba, Igbo Edo, Tiv and Ebira ethnic groups. It is a traditional food. It is prepared by pounding boiled yam with a mortar and pestle. Pounded yam is similar to mashed potatoes but heavier. It is a smooth and tasty delicacy traditionally eaten with the hands.
Owo is a soup eaten in the south-central region of Nigeria. It is common among the itsekiri, Urhobo such as. 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. It is especially important among the itsekiri and Urhobo people.
Ofe achara is an Igbo soup made mainly from Achara and mgbam. Ofe In the language refers to soup.
Ofe Owerri is an Igbo delicacy in the South-Eastern part of Nigeria. The soup is made with snails, beef,assorted meat and fishes.
Fio Fio is a Nigerian food peculiar to the South-Eastern part, the soup is made guinea pea and cocoyam as the major ingredients.
Afia Efere is a Nigerian soup popular amongst the Efik tribe, the soup is also known as white soup due to absence of palm oil in it.
Ofe Ujuju is a local dish gotten from the south-eastern part of Nigeria. The soup is popular among the ika and Agbor people of Delta State.
Mahogany Seed Soup (Ofe Akparata) is a soup made from Mahogany seed traditional known as Akparata among the Igbo tribe. The soup originates from the Eastern part of Nigeria and it is a favourite dish among the Enugu indigenes. The Mahogany seed is widely used as a thickener used in soups and other dishes, besides using it as a thickener it can also be used in making the sauce used in the preparation of Cowleg or Goatleg Nkwobi and Abacha.