If you’re anything like me, you’ve been dreaming about the weekend since Wednesday – how long you’ll lay in bed on Saturday morning (lies and deceit for after rising before dawn on the five days before, your body knows who is king, and just in case you still don’t get it baby, that heavy thing upon your head is no crown – its your worry about sleeping in), what you’ll buy under the bridge on your way home from work on Friday (but two hours later, through Obalende and literal go-slow, happy are you to fall into the arms of an...
The Anatomy of a Purple Pear, Ube
Ube. African Butter Pear What is it? Wikipedia described it as ‘an ellipsoidal drupe which varies in length from 4 to 12 cm.’ Known by many names from Ube (Igbo) to Safou (French), elemi (Yoruba), eben (Efik) and orumu (Benin), it appears its botanical name, Dacryodes edulis comes from the Greek word ‘dakruon‘ (a tear) and ‘edulis’ meaning edible. I love the depth of colour of the skin, and the variety. I’ve seen deep purple to dark blue fruit, with the flesh coloured in varying intensities of green, from pale to light. A cross-section The fruit, about 4 – 5 cm in diameter consists of skin,...
More on Propak & Packaging
Last Two weeks ago already, I visited the ProPak conference. I hoped to find food packaging – bottles, glass jars, etc and get contacts for other things. We – my friend and I, arrived at the venue and registered – in quite an orderly fashion. And then the walk began. Contrary to what I thought, which was limited to one end of the spectrum – the packaging – there was more foundational stuff from further up the line – production and the equipment to start up packaging lines. There were a number of companies who had machines for producing packaging, like bottle-blowing machines....
On Gifts & In Season: Custard Apples
In season – custard apple. This was a gift from my oldest daughter who has a best friend who has a grandmother with a custard apple tree in Lagos, Nigeria. Convoluted, this source? 🙂 They went on a visit and this was what they brought this back for me. This cousin to soursop. Oh my heart. That my children know the gifts to bring me, that they know what excites me, moves me gives me such joy. I’d never ever tasted this creamier, softer-fleshed cousin to soursop so it was magic. The fruit is knobbly, it resembles me of a tortoise’s shell – individual segments...
Èfó Wòròwó ati Asala
Because I can, could, did. This soup combines the nuttiness of Asala with the silken, softness of Wòròwó. The first question people ask is, isn’t it bitter? Isn’t the Asala bitter? I assure them that it is nothing but crunch and cream, Egusiesque in most of its ways. Nothing astringent, nothing offputting about using it to thicken your soup. The recipe is simple – start off by heating palm oil and adding Iru, ferment locust beans and seasoning extraordinaire… Add your ground Asala (1 – 2 cups) – I blended mine without water then stir; Add your mix of blended onions...
Question: Why is New Yam So Expensive?
Yesterday, my friend, @Shutupkecy asked me why New Yam was so expensive – a fact I had noted but rather silently. So, here we are? @Kitchnbutterfly oz why is yam now so expensive ?? can you make a blogpost about that? — Mr Dalloway (@ShutUpKecy) September 6, 2015 And then when I posted this on twitter, @bemgba said: bcos its new? 🙂 https://t.co/oy2Ozyj70q — Bemgba (@bemnyax) September 7, 2015 That made me laugh :). And truth be told, it is true in the simplest sense, because it is new! A few months ago, I purchased yams – old yams, for about N800 each....
Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Cocktail
Because it was Sunday night and I had: Cucumbers Passion fruit Sugar cane Zobo-ginger vodka mix that had been ‘chilling’ Every thing went in the blender, with some sugar. A strain later and it was ready for lime juice over ice. The son insisted I served them with umbrellas. Why not? It certainly brought tropical sunshine and warmth on a cold day. Passion fruit really is the best thing in the world. I can’t imagine that there’s a human being somewhere, some place who does not love it madly. Like I do. Are you such a person? I hope not. What’s your favourite passion fruit...
In Season Again: Rhizomes, Citrus & Mangoes
‘In season’ again… Ginger All year round, ginger is available but right now, the rhizomes – the name given to the small tubers – of ginger in market stalls are amazingly fresh. Thin-skinned, fresh flavoured and relatively big. Limes Big, juicy and cheaper than they’ve been – limes are ‘back in season’. Yes, like ginger they never really go out of season but they have periods when they are more abundant. Ogbomosho Mangoes Last year, halfway through the Farafina Workshop of 2014 (Yes, the Creative Writing Workshop hosted by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), I discovered Ogbomosho mangoes on the shelves of...
Wòròwó: Discovering New Greens
One of the benefits of proclaiming my love for food o’er all is people share with me their deepest, darkests :). Well, not entirely true, but people share with me their faves – their thoughts, family recipes, best places to eat and so much more. I do not take any of these lightly. Food is serious biz people. And so it was that on two occasions, a colleague and a friend mentioned this ‘peculiar’ green to me, proclaiming it a firm favourite. So that when I saw it on the Ilesha – Ibadan road, I ‘rushed’ to buy some. At...