It’s true. Forget everything you thought you knew! Oranges can be green, yellow, orange and shades in between. I raised three children on ‘orange’ oranges, dutifully bought from our local Albert Heijn in Wassenaar. They learnt to eat them quartered mostly and loved them. And then we moved to Nigeria, to green and almost sunshine yellow oranges and my children were confused. It hadn’t really occurred to me before this that there was a difference because I grew up on green oranges and orange oranges were the stuff we watched on TV when it showed us the world and other...
Finally Named: ‘Umilo/ Omilo’ is Cocoplum, Paradise Plum!
Do you remember these posts I wrote? Pepper Soup Spice Detective: Umilo/ Omilo But… and The Journey to Names and Provenance – Umilo & Gbafilo In both, I tried to find the botanical names for a specific peppersoup spice, umilo/ omilo. There were some conclusions but they were confusing. For instance, I found the supposed botanical name (Parinari excelsa) ascribed to it also given to another spice in the family, Gbafilo. And then I thought perhaps it was related to the butternut in the walnut family – it tasted a bit walnutty and also resembled drawings in an old illustration....
Nigerian ‘Concept’ Dish: Akara Brick Toast
The perfect Saturday morning breakfast – bread and akara, only switched up in a take on a popular Japanese dish. Shibuya Honey Toast It’s also known as Japanese Honey Toast or Brick Toast (or simply called Honey Toast or Hanitoo in Japanese); Source – JW Web Magazine If you know me, you might know that I love Japan food and culture from tea ceremonies to soba noodles, kintsugi, wabi sabi. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nigerian Food Explorer (@kitchenbutterfly) on Mar 7, 2019 at 1:09am PST Shibuya (渋谷区 Shibuya-ku) is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial and business center,...
Guest Post – Mangoes, Your Not So Ordinary Fruit
This is a guest post by my friend, Akwugo – an excellent, excellent writer who loves stories and connecting with people through them. Connect with her here xxx The one fruit that I am super sure was present in the splendid and perfect garden of Eden is the mango! Even ahead of the apple, which is so often used to depict the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I know for certain that paradise would have been incomplete without mangoes. I know for certain that paradise would have been incomplete without mangoes. Mangoes symbolize fertility...
Nigerian Women in Food: #1 – Iyabo Lawani,
Maggi Family Menu and Maggi Good Food Moments were the first cooking shows I ever watched and Iyabo Lawani was the host, from 1999 to 2008! A pioneer, a forerunner, a Nigerian woman who pushed and continues to push the food industry forward. Her resume covers the gamut – food consultant, nutritionist/home economist, food stylist, photographer . For International Women’s Day 2019, I wanted to feature at least one Nigerian woman in food, part of a tribe of women who have set the bar, carved the path and made space for us at the table, in ways I see as...
How to Eat-Drink an Orange
Some things make you realise others, like how Akwugo’s love and appreciation for her mother shone through in her piece on Lessons and oranges. As I read through it, it occurred to me that there were so many different ways of partaking in the orange goodness, and how it is different across the world. It triggered this graphic, showing a few ways – and this article exploring the peculiarities of each one. It also reminded me that for the longest time, I didn’t have words for how we ate oranges in Nigeria. How we drank the juice and ate the...
Nigerian Seasonal Produce: #13, Oranges
Andddddddddddddddd, we’re back. Happy new year guys. I’m sorry it’s been so long – blame the new WordPress.org interface, and work, and life. I’ve missed you, missed sharing all the goodness of food. The first post is a guest one, from Akwugo of Ahshakasha.com, sharing everything about the common yet uncommonness of the orange, about motherhood and parenting, about what we learn. Read on and celebrate, for orange (And citrus season is here!). This post birthed something in me which I’ll share in my next post. Its amazing just where inspiration comes from! Nigerian Seasonal Produce’ is a monthly column...
Guest Post: My Deep-rooted Love for Plantain
Plantain has been bringing joy to homes in Nigeria since the amalgamation of the North and South poles. That’s how deep I believe it. This saying isn’t any truer as Nigerian artiste Timaya testified to in his 2011 hit single “Plantain Boy”. You should listen to it if you haven’t. [youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15gzJf8_P3Y”] The ease with which it is planted and also being a source of livelihood for many agro-based families and business ventures are pointers to this. A famous Bini adage goes “Ogwomondia vbe oghede” which translates as “a plantain tree does not lack who serves her”. A plantain tree...
Guest Post – The Perfect Dodo aka ‘Dow Dow’
Nma isn’t lazy when it comes to loving and eating plantain. Her favourite way? Fried and enjoyed with rice and stew. Most Nigerian parents would be proud, for in Nigeria when you’re out and you complain of hunger (aka lusting for junk food…), the parents might go – ‘Don’t worry, there’s rice at home’! Need I say more? Thank you, Nma. I particularly like that mixed meat recipe you suggest! It’s no secret that my favorite food in the world is plantain. Not bananas; plantains, specifically ripe plantains. I can eat plain fried ripe plantains on its own or with any side but my favorite...