Gastronomy in Nigeria

The Nigerian food is generally characterized by variety and richness using different spices, herbs, and seasonings combined with palm oil or groundnut oil are used to produce superb sauces and soups. Like other Western African festivities, Nigerian feasts are vibrant and lavish.

Main courses made-up of rice include jollof (tomatoes/tomato paste, onion, mixed vegetables and meats, red pepper) and pate (onions, pepper, garden egg, locust beans, biscuit bone, and ground nut. Suya is a very popular meat kebab and typically served on a barbecue stick with chili pepper and local spices. Popular soups and stews include the afang (vegetable soup and came from the Efiks in the southeast), egusi soup (thickened soup with ground melon seeds, leaf vegetable, seasonings, meat), maafe (stew made of lamb, chicken, or beef with tomato and groundnut or peanut-based sauce), efo soup or tabot stew (stew made of leafy vegetables), and ogbono soup (ground ogbono sooeds, leafy vegetables, any meat, seasoning). Common side dishes are funkaso (millet pancakes) and fried plantain.

Nigerians also love puddings, porridge and pastes such as fufu (thich and smooth paste made of yams or cocoyam), moimoi (steamed bean pudding), iyanbis (similar to mashed potatoes and made of crushed yam), amala (thick paste or porridge with yam skin), and eba (also called gari, thick paste rolled into balls and made from cassava). Favorite snacks and sweets include chin chin (fried sweet cookie), puff puff (fried Nigerian doughnut), acarajé (beignet made from black-eyed beans dough), and kuli-kuli (ground and roasted peanuts). Popular beverages are kunu (very popular drink made of millet or sorghum or maize), palm wine, and zobo (made of roselle juice).