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.

OgiriOgiriAsh-grey paste of fermented melon or castor seeds, ferociously pungent in soupsOgogoroOgogoroRaw local gin distilled from fermented palm sap, drunk neat in shot glassesOkpaOkpaDense steamed pudding of bambara nut flour, sold hot in leaf parcelsOkporokoOkporokoRock-hard air-dried cod broken into soups for chew and deep savourPalm winePalm wineSweet-then-sour sap tapped from the oil palm, drunk the day it runsParagaParagaRoadside shots of local gin infused with roots, bark and bitter herbsPepper soupPepper soupfiery clear broth of goat or fish with country peppersPounded yamPounded yamStretchy pounded yam swallow paired with egusi or vegetable soupsPuff-puffPuff-puffFried dough with beans and corn pap, the beignets-haricot comboSuyaSuyaThin beef skewers coated in spiced peanut powder and grilled over woodTuwo shinkafaTuwo shinkafaSoft northern rice swallow for miyan kuka and other soupsUgbaUgbaShredded fermented oil-bean seeds, sour and oily, eaten with abacha or stockfishWaraWaraSoft white curd cheese, fried golden and skewered for sale by the roadsideYajiYajipeanut, chili and ginger rub dusted over grilled meat and skewersZoboZoboTart hibiscus drink with ginger and pineapple

  • Banga soup

    Niger Delta palm-fruit soup with catfish, eaten with starch. Ready in 30 min prep and 1 hr 15 min cooking.…

  • Burukutu

    Cloudy sour beer of fermented guinea corn, sold warm in the Middle Belt. A wine & spirit recipe from Nigeria.

  • Chapman

    Ruby mix of Fanta, Sprite, blackcurrant and bitters over cucumber. Ready in 5 min prep and none cooking. 1 tall…

  • Chin chin

    Crunchy fried sweet dough cubes. Ready in 25 min prep and 30 min cooking. 1 large jar. A snack recipe…

  • Danwake

    Bean-flour dumplings boiled, then tossed with oil, pepper and grated cassava. Ready in 25 min prep and 30 min cooking.…

  • Dodo

    Fried sweet plantain slices alongside rice and stews. Ready in 10 min prep and 15 min cooking. 4 servings. A…

  • Eba

    Garri swallow stirred from toasted cassava with hot water. Ready in 2 min prep and 8 min cooking. 4 servings.…

  • Efo riro

    Yoruba spinach stew in palm oil with locust bean and assorted meat. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hr…

  • Edikang ikong

    Rich Calabar vegetable soup of pumpkin leaves and waterleaf. Ready in 40 min prep and 1 hr 20 min cooking.…

  • Ewa agoyin

    Mashed beans under scorched-pepper palm-oil sauce, scooped with agege bread. Ready in 20 min prep and 2 hr cooking. 6…