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...
I’ve almost always used the dried version and so haven’t had the opportunity, till recently to truly get a whiff of the buttery, caramel, chocolate notes the aidan pod has trapped within it. A winged pod, with 2 hard, inedible and 2 soft, edible wings, it is a core ingredient in my mother’s pepper soup....
Updated, May 29th with a table, also confirming the name! For years, I’ve called it banga stick or oburunbebe, as learned from the interwebs. All attempts to find the botanical name drawing blanks. But researchers stay researching – once one, always and forever one. Some skills to being a good researcher are: Observation: when you...
From market to web page, it seems – despite their size and appearance differences – that umilo and gbafilo might be related, after all. Proof that sameness is beyond appearance. In my search for the botanical name for umilo, I happened upon an article referring to umilo by Parinari excelsa, the botanical name which I ‘knew’...
Updated – 30th May, 2019 – Name found – its the cocoa plum (amongst other names) …still searching. And still, when in doubt, observe. When you don’t know the what or why or how, focus on what you can see, hear, smell, touch, feel, taste, focus on observing. I know one name of this peppersoup...
Updated 29th May 2019, with the botanical names for Omilo/ Umilo I am an explorer. The thrill of discovery is blood to my bones such that rifling – if you can call electronically paging through pdfs that – through documents about the organoplectic nature of xyz are adventure hunts for me. One of the things...
A night-time conversation with D, my 6-year old has brought me here, to this point where I am writing an open letter to the world. To those who think Nigerian cuisine is no more than pepper. And I am not really on the offensive. Or defensive. I’m just in plain agreement as to how we...
Nigeria, we hail thee, Our own dear native land, Though tribe and tongue may differ, In brotherhood we stand, ….. Nigeria may be blessed. Nigeria We Hail Thee (1960) by Lillian Jean Williams In Jesus name, Amen.