My Guide to Food – Exploring and Mapping intersections between Nigerian Cuisine and Foods of the World
I’ve always wondered why snails are called Congo meat. What did the Congolese do to for us to take on that name? Look, if you know Nigerians, we are not easy to award accolades just for the fun of it, or append labels just because. So for us to refer to this in many parts […]
Wait till the rainy season when snails are in abundance. Don’t be tempted to pick their tiny cousins from gardens green as you did when you were this high…and call it a feast. Best find a market and prepare to shell out some dosh. I say find a market where they have snails and will […]
Snails are my latest obsession, can you tell? Well, they are in season so…yes, go for it I say to myself. Do new things. Embrace new combinations and textures. One. Slice them and place in pretty dishes. Don’t worry too much about whether or not you have enough snails. No one ever has enough snails. […]
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 […]
Itu Bridge. The famous Itu Bridge on the way to and from Calabar in the South of Nigeria and seafood – fresh, dried, bought, sold. Seafood of the south. Of Nigeria, where nsam, ngolo, crabs and ‘water snails’, crabs are everyday things. I’ve lived in Warri and Port-Harcourt where periwinkles stud everything from Egusi to […]
Peppered. Freshly made. Leftovers. Freshly warmed. Who cares? On a toothpick. Or by hand. Standing up. Sitting down. By the dozen. Or half-dozen, belying your generosity. Not showing your greed. A half-dozen, at the very least. But one by one. One after the other. Hard flesh, rubbery flesh, crunch. Juicy tentacles. With rice. Delicious, freshly-boiled […]
The ‘New Nigerian Kitchen’ is a term I coined in 2013 and articulated in my 2014 TEDx Talk to describe my approach and practice to the many faces and facets of Nigerian cuisine and my strong belief that Food is more than eating – practically all aspects of life are reflected on the plate. I think of […]
I’m a huge fan of textures in food – cow leg and it’s combination of crunch, jellied and meaty; snails and their rubbery crunch; tripe and its chewy, rubbery sensations – all thrill me when done right. This Snail dodo is heaven on a plate – peppered snails, chopped and combined in a saute with […]
Puff Puff. Bouncing up and down like I’m on a trampoline. You’ve spoken. And the winner is Puff Puff. For emphasis and for good reason. Puff puff has emerged as the most popular item in any pack of small chops. Proof that deep-fried dough balls are the ‘ish. Combine that with spice and/or smoke and […]