Shredded fermented oil-bean seeds, sour and oily, eaten with abacha or stockfish. It is an Igbo ferment of Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds sliced and wrapped in leaves, and it is the standard offering at Igbo village meetings.
Raw African oil bean is toxic, and the long boil, the repeated washing and the ferment together are the detoxification — a shortened version is not a flavour failure.
What goes into it
- African oil bean seeds
- leaves for wrapping
- sometimes salt and potash
How it is made
The seeds are boiled for many hours, dehulled, sliced into fine shreds, washed repeatedly and then boiled again before being wrapped warm in leaves and left two to four days to ferment under Bacillus. The long boiling and repeated washing are not for flavour: raw oil-bean seeds are toxic and the processing is what makes them edible.
How long it takes: a day of boiling and washing, then two to four days fermenting
How it is eaten
With abacha as African salad, or with stockfish and palm oil at meetings.
History
An Igbo ferment of Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds sliced and wrapped in leaves; it is the standard offering at Igbo village meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ugba?
Ugba is a fermented & pickled from Nigeria: shredded fermented oil-bean seeds, sour and oily, eaten with abacha or stockfish. An Igbo ferment of Pentaclethra macrophylla seeds sliced and wrapped in leaves; it is the standard offering at Igbo village meetings.
How is Ugba made?
The seeds are boiled for many hours, dehulled, sliced into fine shreds, washed repeatedly and then boiled again before being wrapped warm in leaves and left two to four days to ferment under Bacillus. The long boiling and repeated washing are not for flavour: raw oil-bean seeds are toxic and the processing is what makes them edible. It takes a day of boiling and washing, then two to four days fermenting.
Can I make Ugba at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Raw African oil bean is toxic, and the long boil, the repeated washing and the ferment together are the detoxification — a shortened version is not a flavour failure.
What goes into Ugba?
African oil bean seeds, leaves for wrapping, sometimes salt and potash.
How is Ugba eaten?
With abacha as African salad, or with stockfish and palm oil at meetings.
