My Guide to Food – Exploring and Mapping intersections between Nigerian Cuisine and Foods of the World
When I first discovered Epapa – Monkey Kola/ Cola, I was intrigued by its crisp crunch – part water chestnut, part carrot and its vegetal flavour, a cross between fresh green peas and young carrots. And then one night, with a wealth of it, I decided to make a relish of it. I blitzed pieces of Epapa […]
Because you can do more with Nigerian land snails than eat them and make Jollof. Because the peculiar chewy, crunchy texture lends itself to moreTo being sautéed in sweet butter and garlic and young scent leaves. Like strewn atop a bed of greens and herbs. Simple to assemble. And delicious. Think fresh and crunchy, chewy and […]
Last weekend, I had a puff-puff party. It was the best puff-puff party I’d ever had. Been to. The only one too :). Anchored by the fact that my puff-puff game had improved considerably in a week of making it three times, and a comment J, my daughter made about said fried dough, I gathered a veritable […]
When life gives you too much Kilishi; make Dambu. Kilishi is a sun-dried product of, by early Fulani, Hausa tribesmen, created as a means of preserving meat in the absence of refrigeration. All because once upon a day, I craved Dambu Nama but had only Kilishi. And my food processor. And my A game, obviously. […]
Ages ago, I used to make handmade paper. In my mum’s blender in our backyard in Warri. The same blender that pureed our tomatoes and onions for stew. The very same one. When my children were old enough to learn about recycling, we made screens for scooping and drying our sheets of pink and lilac […]
Who would have thought I had so many Meyer lemons in my possession and was this quiet. Remember when? Remember when I talked non-stop about Meyer lemons for weeks and months, totally smitten. Well, there, goes to show. From New York and Wholefoods I brought back a dozen lemons. For the last month, they’ve turned […]
Its been two weeks or three even since I spotted pepperfruit, ‘shaded’ in small piles of green and red, set on the corner of a busy street on the Marina. The Lagos Marina. I’m heading to a buka lunch with my besto, D who is visiting from Port Harcourt. I spot this ‘mama’, seated on […]
I love mangoes and their varied character. To me, the mango is itself in so many ways – sweet and sour and tart. Just like it’s seed. Gnawing on one, I often find myself licking the core of a mango with a puzzled look as I navigate the compass of flavours, flossing my teeth on […]
I’m amazed how children of every generation – mine, yours, theirs are the same. A few weeks ago, I noticed my children drinking water from bottles raised high above their mouths and I laughed…’germ-free’ sharing right? I told them it was something I did growing up. In fact, till I became an adult. When […]
Hi. My name is Ozoz. I’m a Nigerian food explorer who’s on a quest – to find and share the sweet, sweet nectar that’s food
