Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Nigeria

Bold pepper-forward cooking: jollof rice, earthy soups eaten with swallows, and smoky suya street culture. That is the short version of what Nigeria cooks. Look for Jollof rice (party rice in smoky tomato-pepper stew base; West African icon), Egusi soup (melon-seed soup with bitterleaf and assorted meats, eaten with pounded yam) and Pounded yam (stretchy pounded yam swallow paired with egusi or vegetable soups). Descended from Senegambian thieboudienne of the Wolof Jolof empire; Nigerian and Ghanaian claims to the best version fuel an online jollof rivalry. This atlas has 51 Nigeria dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

51 dishes.

AbachaAbachaShredded dried cassava tossed with ugba, palm oil and garden eggsAfang soupAfang soupEfik soup of afang leaves and waterleaf with periwinklesAgege breadAgege breadSoft sweet white loaf torn by hand and eaten with ewa agoyin or akaraAkaraAkaraBlack-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oilAkpuAkpuCassava steeped under water until soft and sour, then cooked and pounded into swallowAmalaAmalaDark yam-flour swallow served with ewedu and gbegiriAsunAsunSmoked goat chopped and tossed with fiery peppers and onionsBanga soupBanga soupNiger Delta palm-fruit soup with catfish, eaten with starchBoliBoliRipe plantain roasted over coals, eaten with groundnuts or peppered fishBurukutuBurukutuCloudy sour beer of fermented guinea corn, sold warm in the Middle BeltChapmanChapmanRuby mix of Fanta, Sprite, blackcurrant and bitters over cucumberChin chinChin chinCrunchy fried sweet dough cubesDanwakeDanwakeBean-flour dumplings boiled, then tossed with oil, pepper and grated cassavaDodoDodoFried sweet plantain slices alongside rice and stewsEbaEbaGarri swallow stirred from toasted cassava with hot waterEdikang ikongEdikang ikongRich Calabar vegetable soup of pumpkin leaves and waterleafEfo riroEfo riroYoruba spinach stew in palm oil with locust bean and assorted meatEgusi soupEgusi soupMelon-seed soup with bitterleaf and assorted meats, eaten with pounded yamEwa agoyinEwa agoyinMashed beans under scorched-pepper palm-oil sauce, scooped with agege breadFura da nonoFura da nonospiced millet dough balls swirled into tangy fermented milkGarriGarriToasted fermented cassava grains, soaked cold with sugar or stirred hot into ebaIruIruFermented locust beans, black and sticky, dropped into stews for deep savourIsi ewuIsi ewuGoat head cut up in palm-oil sauce with utazi leaves and brainJollof riceJollof riceRice steamed in smoky tomato-pepper stew base; fierce national prideKilishiKilishiBeef sliced paper thin, sun-dried, coated in spiced groundnut paste and dried againKokoroKokoroCrunchy fried sticks of maize flour and sugar, sold in twisted plastic bagsKunu ayaKunu ayaMilky drink of blended tigernuts with dates and coconut, served chilledKunu zakiKunu zakiChilled spiced millet gruel, tangy and thin, drunk by the tumblerMasaMasaslightly sour rice cakes griddled in dimpled pans, with sauce or honeyMiyan kukaMiyan kukabaobab-leaf powder soup with dried fish and meat, poured over tuwoMoin moinMoin moinSteamed bean pudding with fish or boiled eggNkwobiNkwobiCow foot in a thick spiced palm-oil emulsion, eaten from wooden bowlsOfada riceOfada riceLocal unpolished rice with spicy green-pepper ayamase stewOfe nsalaOfe nsalaPeppery catfish soup thickened with pounded yam, cooked without palm oilOgbono soupOgbono soupDrawy wild-mango-seed soup with slippery texture, eaten with ebaOgiOgiSoured fermented maize starch cooked to a smooth pap, eaten with akara or moin moin

  • Ogi

    Soured fermented maize starch cooked to a smooth pap, eaten with akara or moin moin. Ready in 20 min prep…

  • Ogogoro

    Raw local gin distilled from fermented palm sap, drunk neat in shot glasses. Ready in 2 hr of tapping and…

  • Egusi soup

    Melon-seed soup with bitterleaf and assorted meats, eaten with pounded yam. Ready in 35 min prep and 1 hr 45…

  • Abacha

    Shredded dried cassava tossed with ugba, palm oil and garden eggs. Ready in 30 min prep and 20 min cooking.…

  • Agege bread

    Soft sweet white loaf torn by hand and eaten with ewa agoyin or akara. Ready in 30 min prep and…

  • Afang soup

    Efik soup of afang leaves and waterleaf with periwinkles. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hr cooking. 6 servings.…

  • Akpu

    Cassava steeped under water until soft and sour, then cooked and pounded into swallow. A fermented & pickled recipe from…

  • Akara

    Black-eyed pea fritters fried in palm oil. Ready in 25 min prep and 20 min cooking. About 18 fritters. A…

  • Amala

    Dark yam-flour swallow served with ewedu and gbegiri. Ready in 5 min prep and 15 min cooking. 4 servings. A…

  • Asun

    Smoked goat chopped and tossed with fiery peppers and onions. Ready in 25 min prep and 45 min cooking. 6…