Ofada rice is a Yoruba dish. It is the name of an indigenous rice from a small community called Ofada, located in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. It is not exclusively grown in the community, but it is an indigenous rice grown in southwest Nigeria but named after the Ofada community. [1] [2] [3] It is used in making a variety of dishes. Ofada rice are mostly blends, and some of the rice varieties in the blends are not indigenous to Africa; however, they usually also contain African rice. It is grown almost exclusively in Ogun State, [4] a state in southwestern Nigeria. [1] Ofada rice is grown on free-draining soil where the water table is permanently below the root of the plant. [5]
Ofada rice are mostly blends, and usually contain Oryza glaberrima (African rice) as well as the more common Oryza sativa Asian rice, and may be categorized as either brown/red Ofada or white Ofada on the basis of unmilled seed colour. [6] [7] [8] Grain size, shape, and shade vary. [6]
Ofada rice is unpolished. [4] [9] As African rice is more difficult to mill and polish, some or all of the rice bran is left on the grain, strengthening the flavour and making it more nutritious. Brown ofada rice is often very highly aromatic, whereas white ofada rice is typically non-aromatic. [4] They are also known for swelling in size when cooked. [4] It is sometimes processed using fermentation, which adds an aromatic quality to the product. [4]
Ofada rice is typically priced higher compared to other available rice, and it has been regarded as a sign of status symbolism by some people. [4] [10] In contemporary times, it is sometimes served at classy parties. [4] It is also sold as street food by vendors, often pre wrapped up in Ewe Eran leaf, then served with the special Ayamashe sauce or Ofada stew with egg, beef, ponmo, chicken and or fish.
One of the major types of rice grown in Nigeria is called Ofada rice. This variety got its name from the fact that it was grown and processed in the South-West Nigerian villages of Ofada and other rice-producing villages. The crop was first grown in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and introduced through missionary activities between the 1850s and 1970s. From there, it was spread to the Lagos region in Epe and Okitipupa; from there, it was moved to Ogoja and Abakaliki provinces after the Second World War; and finally, it was spread across the Sahara and to northern Nigeria via the Trans-Saharan trade. Because of the unique taste and aroma of the variety which makes it more popular than other local varieties with distinct taste when cooked. [4]
Ofada rice is named after the town Ofada, where its cultivation first occurred. [4] Ofada is a town located in Ogun state. [4]
Ofada rice is traditionally served in an uma leaf ( Thaumatococcus daniellii ), with a sauce of atarodo (spicy) and tatase (sweet) pepper, onion, locust beans, palm oil, and meat. It is a festive meal rather than an everyday type of food for most Nigerians but it is an everyday street food for the towns of Ikenne and Ilisan in Ogun state. [6] [11] [12] It is also often served along with a vegetable stew that may contain locust beans as an ingredient. [4] It is often served with ayamase stew or obe-ata-iru, both specially prepared for ofada rice consumption.
Ofada stew is a local dish which originated from the southern part of Nigeria. Ofada stew is otherwise known as ata dindin. [13]
Ingredients for making ofada stew are unripe habanero peppers (atarodo), unripe tatashe peppers or green bell peppers, locust bean seasoning (iru or ogiri), red palm oil, onions, crayfish, assorted meat and fish, beef, shaki (cow tripe), dry fish, and stock fish. [1] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
Ayamase, also known as ofada sauce, is a stew made with palm oil similar to ofada stew except it is made from green ball peppers which give the soup a unique taste. [19] [20] [21] [22]
Scotch bonnet is a variety of chili pepper named for its supposed resemblance to a Scottish tam o' shanter bonnet. It is ubiquitous in West Africa and the Caribbean.
Sofrito, sofregit, soffritto, or refogado is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. It typically consists of aromatic ingredients cut into small pieces and sautéed or braised in cooking oil for a long period of time over a low heat.
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 characteristic brown 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.
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The cuisine of Senegal is a West African cuisine that derives from the nation's many ethnic groups, the largest being the Wolof. Islam, which first embraced the region in the 11th century, also plays a role in the cuisine. Senegal was a colony of France until 1960. From the time of its colonization, emigrants have brought Senegalese cuisine to many other regions.
Peanut stew or groundnut stew, also known as maafe, sauce d'arachide (French) or tigadèguèna is a stew that is a staple food in Western Africa. It originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali.
Fried plantain is a dish cooked wherever plantains grow, from West Africa to East Africa as well as Central America, the tropical region of northern South America and the Caribbean countries like Haiti to Cuba and in many parts of Southeast Asia and Oceania, where fried snacks are widely popular. In Indonesia it is called gorengan. It is called dodo in Yoruba in South West Nigeria, otherwise known as simply fried plantain in other parts of Nigeria. Kelewele is a fried spicy plantain or can be fried as a side dish for Red Red and fish stew in Ghana.
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.
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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.
Egusi sauce or Egusi Soup, traditionally Egusi or Obe Egusi in Yoruba, is a culinary sauce prepared with egusi seeds as a primary ingredient. Egusi seeds are the fat- and protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants. Egusi sauce is common and prevalent across Central Africa as mbíka, and may be served atop rice, cooked vegetables, or grilled meat, such as goat, chicken, beef, or fish. It may also be served atop fufu, omelettes, amala, and eba, among other foods. Egusi soup is also consumed in West Africa, sometimes with chicken.
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.
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Ayamase, also spelled Ayamashe, is a special type of sauce or stew native to the Yoruba people in West Africa. It is eaten with Ofada rice and sometimes regular white rice. It is a made with peppers, green peppers and spices. It usually contains meat, fish and eggs. It has a dark greenish colour. It is different from a stew called Ofada sauce or Lafenwa stew which is reddish and also eaten with Ofada rice. It is popular in Yoruba parties called Owambe and in home cooking.