Meet Cucumber, the fruit and the vegetable. At least in Nigeria, it is. On the right fork where Old Aba road meets the Aba expressway in my city of Port Harcourt, women sit on wooden stools and chairs, selling wares. These squat seats, close to the ground keeps them close to their planks full of cucumber...
Category: Nigerian Cuisine
Kunun Aya, ‘Horchata’ de Chufas ‘Nigerian Style’
Northerners in Nigeria are famous for many things, culinary-wise: they are tray-bearers of dates, kolanuts and alligator pepper; suya merchants of everything from meat kebabs to jerky-style beef kilishi and pounded, shredded Dambu Nama as well as wonderful drink makers. Sometimes I wonder what the repertoire of Nigerian drinks would be like without our North....
Lunch on Homegrown Nigerian Quails
‘Af’ago k’eyin aparo, ohun oju wa l’oju ri (Yoruba language)’ ‘He who packs pheasants egg with the local bird cage (made with a mesh of raffia palms, and having large holes), will find what he has been searching for. Translation: The man who doesn’t listen to advice will lose out for the bird cage referred to in...
Cook Naija: Pitanga Cherry Dessert
In most parts of the world, the leaves are turning, the days are getting shorter and it’s a fresh 14 degrees or so. Pumpkins and all things orange, russet and gold are the rage. Desserts too are the norm – pumpkin pies and apple tarts, custards, puddings and heartwarming eats. In Nigeria, some leaves are turning but the days stay the same. There are no...
November 2012: ‘Made in Nigeria’ – In My Kitchen
This post is inspired by Celia (of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial) who does a monthly feature called ‘In My Kitchen’. Join the fun! Click on the link to visit Celia’s blog: Fig Jam and Lime Cordial ——♥♥♥—— Proudly ‘Made in Nigeria’. Like my 5-year old son who was ‘Made in Nigeria, Born in Holland’!...
Cook Naija: Gizdodo or Gizzards & Dodo
Nose to tail isn’t a passing fad in Nigeria, or a new culinary trend – it has and always will be a part of our food culture, of our heritage. It isn’t the offspring of one parent – poverty, but it was born of necessity, of sustainability, of wasting not and thus wanting not. It...
Home air quality guides
Do Air Purifiers like the winix wac9500 Work? Before we discuss if you should get an air purifier for your home, it’s best if we first tackle the question about if air purifiers really work or not. This is mainly due to poor ventilation, chemicals contained in household cleaners, mold spores, bacteria and allergens that...
Nigerian Street Food: Bole & Fish
I haven’t met a fish tail I didn’t like. Or couldn’t eat. Don’t get me wrong though, it hasn’t been all fun and games. Not especially on that Monday afternoon, decked in a white top and sky blue dress, ready to wow my audience at the afternoon meeting. All this without properly consulting my fish...
Me and My Mangoes
I am three times a lady. I want you to remember that. No matter what you read in the coming minutes, just think ‘Three times a lady’. Time one – I have ‘trained’ myself to wear 6-inch heels, with little fear of tragedy a la sprained ankles and I can actually walk in them. Time...