Set your taste buds on fire with a trip through the spicy soups, satisfying starches and skewered meats that comprise Nigerian cuisine. Whether pulling up to a table in Port Harcourt or seeking out family-owned establishments around the globe, sample a hearty stew and don't forget the fufu.
Many Nigerian dishes revolve around starches such as maize, yams and plantains. A dish called dodo is sort of like Nigerian fries, except for the shape: plantains are sliced up and the circles fried in oil until golden brown. Drained and then salted, dodo is a traditional snack or a breakfast treat. Yams are also sliced up and fried, and street vendors also often sell fried bean cakes. Akara consists of black-eyed peas and is often served for breakfast alongside grits sweetened with milk called akamu.
Nigerian stews are spicy and hearty, incorporating various chiles and peppers, fruits like egusi melon, vegetables such as okra and water leaf and meats ranging from goat to crayfish. You're likely to find exotic meat choices such as ox tongue, cow foot or cow skin. Near the Nigerian coast, you're likely to find seafood stews incorporating fresh fish or lobster. A vegetarian stew is often a simple blend of greens, tomato paste and onion, while a fish stew can include bell pepper along with tomato puree and onion. For a snack on the go, handheld pastry pies are a favorite.
Fufu is a malleable piece of bread like a dough mound that accompanies hearty stews or spicy soups. The starchiness of the yam or cassava flour balances the signature spiciness of Nigerian food. Fufu is broken off by hand into small balls and fashioned into a scoop by indenting the dough with your thumb. Mop up some stew with the fufu like you're scooping gravy off a plate. If you have a thin soup such as pepper soup, stick to your spoon.
Nigerians also have an appreciation for the grill. Suya is a kebab-style meat. Skewered and grilled pieces of beef and chicken are coated in spices and ground peanuts before they hit the flame. The meat may be accompanied by a signature Nigerian rice dish, jollof. This famous dish is rice mixed with tomato paste, chiles or peppers and onion. It is served as a side dish or the base for mix-ins of chicken, fish or veggies.
