20 Native African Foods You should Try out Today

One thing you'd love about the African Continent is her variety of native foods, with each tribe's special ability to cook so well. Now, its  not just enough to cook - but much more the availability and love to eat, especialy across tribes.

Growing up, I was selective of the kind of food I eat, you would never see me eat bitterleaf soup or amala and ewedu (Although I was born and brought up in Lagos) or even tuwo shinkafa. It was either Egusi soup or Vegetable soup because I felt there are no other soup that can taste like them and of course i am from the east.

But as I grew older, I had friends from the west and south and even North and I would hear them brag about how nice their food taste ( of course I'd brag about my egusi soup too) and how captivating it can be, more like if you eat it once you would always want to eat it but I would never agree to whatever they say, I always say my egusi was the best.

Until we made a pact one day that we would all taste each other foods, that was the day I ate Amala and Ewedu for the first time in my life, I liked it so much but I would never admit to them that I enjoyed it and I tell you that after that day, I would always buy amala and ewedu soup every evening I got back from school and  i decided to taste every other native food and damn! there are some I still can't get over.

There are lot of native food in Africa especially Nigeria and they taste so deliciously nice and if you haven't tasted some, they are few I would like you to try out and believe me you will enjoy it as much as I enjoy them. 

1. Atama soup: 

The Atama soup is a delicacy which is popular among indigenes of Cross River and Akwa Ibom states in Nigeria. It is cooked with a leaf called Atama leaf, water leaf and palm oil with a variety of meat, dry fish and sometimes periwinkle. I couldn't get over the taste of this food the very first time I ate it.

2. Black Soup

It is an Edo state soup, which is prepared with bitter leaf and scent leaf with variety of meat and it can be eaten with any swallow of your choice.

3. Onunu and fish stew: 

 It is mostly eaten by Rivers state people. It is a combination of yam and plantain accompanied wth fish stew.

4. Banga Soup and Starch

This is another delicious soup that i love a lot, it is more like a soup called ofe akwu but it is cooked with scent leaf and it is eaten by Urobo people (Delta state) and it is eaten with starch.

5. Egg with bean Soup

I really don't want to be so hyped about this soup but if you love egusi soup you will definitely love this soup. It is mostly eaten by hausa or fulani people. It is a mixture of egg, beans ginger, curry, cloves. And it is mostly eaten with tuwon shinka. 

 

Africa is a unique continent with its scenic ambience, the air it breathes and the many comforting trees. The large mass of lands preaches freedom under the sun and the stars, the feel is so divine.  But the exotic traditional delicacies should not be left out, as it is essential in order to mark out the uniqueness of various countries in Africa. 

South Africa is a cosmopolitan country with exciting tourist attractions ranging from wildlife tours, scenic beaches, alluring and daring stories behind those beautiful breathtaking walls. You think you have seen it all, until you have a taste of their sumptuous traditional meals.

1. Potjiekos (Pot Food)

This is a popular traditional food among the South Africans. It is usually made outdoors in a round three-legged cast iron pot over a fire. It is made using Bilton meat (special dried, cured and spiced meat), vegetables and wine. It is a special stew that you do not stir, commonly served with steamed rice or mielepap (maize porridge).

2. Boerewors (Farmer's sausage): 

This is made from beef mince. It's round and meaty and required to contain 90% meat to be qualified as boerewors. It's spices are corrander, cloves and nutmeg that endows it with a distinct taste. It is mostly served at a "braai"(South African special feast).

3. Koeksisters: 

Probably called sisters cause it comes in groups. These are golden crunchy-crust fried pleated-dough pieces, it is sweeter when a sugary syrup is added. They have a doughnut-like center and are very sticky.

The cape-marley version is rolled in dessicated coconut instead of a sugary syrup also, it is slightly spicy.

Nigeria is well-known for its exceptional African dishes, and you just can't have enough. Of course, you'll always want more.

4. Ewa Agoyin (Beans and Stew): 

This is a renowned street food, it's so titillating describing this delicacy. It is a special way of cooking beans, it is made of marshed honey beans locally called "Ewa Oloyin" and special peppered sauce. When this is served with a very succulent bread known as "agege bread", I bet you'll bite your tongue. This combo will definitely change your life forever.

5. Pounded yam with Efo Elegusi: 

This is widely known among the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, it is for kings and is highly valued. The word "pounded yam" explains itself, the yam is pounded until it sticks together. 

Efo elegusi (vegetable with Lemon soup) this soup is usually garnished with crayfish, meat, ponmo, panla and so on. This food is typically made on special occasions as it requires strength to prepare.

These are 5 African foods you must try out trust me, you'll never forget your experience. Remember, thou shall not visit without having a taste of these delicacies.

You are welcome to Africa; a land rich in traditions and cultures. Here, our diversity is reflected in many things, including our culinary traditions in types of food, choice of ingredients and techniques of cooking among others. As a matter of fact, our African meals have very rich nutritional benefits that you may never get elsewhere. So if you are visiting Africa for the first time, or you have never tried any of these African foods, here is an interesting series on the native African foods you should try today

1. Amala

Amala is a popular meal among the Yorubas in Nigeria. It is prepared from yam flour(elubo isu), plantain flour(elubo ogede) or cassava flour(elubo lafun). Any of these flour is added to hot water while on fire and stirred until the water is totally absorbed and the desired texture is derived. 

 

Amala can be served with different soup; ewedu made from blended corchorus leaves with an addition of locust beans, fish and melon, efo riro from vegetables and a mixture of meat, fish as desired, gbegiri made from dried beans, ogbono prepared from ground ogbono seeds and a mixture of stock fish, okro soup from okra and locust beans. Nutritionally, amala is a good source of carbohydrates, specifically amala isu. Amala, prepared from cassava flour has a low carbohydrate, hence good for diabetic patients.

2. Pounded yam

Pounded yam is eaten in Ivory coast, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. It is arguably the most popular food from yam in West Africa. It is prepared from pounding and kneading boiled yam until a glutinous texture is achieved. It can be served with a variety of soup ranging from vegetable soup, groundnut soup and melon seed soup, but best and popularly served with melon seed soup with a mixture of meat, stock fish and cow skin as desired. Nutritionally, it has a moderate glycemic index.

3. Waakye

Popular among the northern Ghanians, waakye is prepared from boiling rice, black eyed or cow beans and red dried sorghum leaves or sheaths which gives it its characteristic red appearance. The sorghum leaves or sheaths are removed before serving. It is commonly served wrapped in banana leaves with stew spiced with fish, meat, fried plantains, and vegetables, as desired. Nutritionally, waakye helps to get rid of free radicals from the body system due to the antioxidants present in the sorghum leaves.

4. Couscous

Couscous is a North African dish, widely accepted and enjoyed throughout the Maghrebi cuisines of Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Libya. Couscous is  a dish prepared from small steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina that is boiled with coconut oil, spices. It is served with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and turnips that is cooked in a spicy or mild broth or stew, and some meat, generally, chicken, lamb or mutton. Nutritionally, it is low in calories and helps in weight loss.

5. Eba

Eba is a staple food mainly eaten in the West African sub-region, particularly in Nigeria and parts of Ghana. It is specifically called Eba by the Yoruba people. It is prepared by mixing fine, dried grated cassava (manioc) flour, commonly known as garri into hot water and stirred well with a wooden spatula until it becomes like a firm dough, so it can be rolled into a ball and can keep its shape. It is often eaten with richly made soups such as egusi soup, stewed vegetable soup, bitter leaf soup or pepper soup with either okro, ogbono or ewedu with fish, beef, stockfish or mutton depending on personal taste. Nutritionally, it is rich in starch, hence a good energy source.

African foods are one of the best continental dishes in the world. There are many mouthwatering African cuisines you should try as someone that loves delicious delicacies. These delightful eatables are:

1. Amala( Ewedu and Gbegiri soup)

Amala is a Yoruba food, mostly eaten by the people of Oyo (Ibadan). It is prepared from varieties of yam flour. There is cassava flour made from dried cassava yam, there is also plantain flour made from unripe plantain, and like wise, yam flour made from the dried peels of yam. These crops in their raw form will be dried under the sun. We all know sun-drying is one of the processes of preserving foods. Both varieties are palatable for the tummy, when cooked. Amala is prepared by pouring any of the yam flour into a well boiled water with vigorous turning. Amala is usually not well done with just the first turning, sometimes you have to heat it over and over again, to give it a soft, sticky, and smooth texture with a satisfying taste. Amala prepared from the flours mentioned above is usually black or brown in color; it depends on the kind of flour picked at the market irrespective of the type of yam flour. We have a kind of flour that results into Amala appearing in white color, i.e. the pigeon pea cassava flour. It is best served with Ewedu, Gbegiri soup and beef.

One thing about Amala is the more you cook it, the better it tastes.

2. Eba and Okra Soup

Eba is made from dried grated cassava flour known as 'garri'. It is one of the African foods that is eaten by the West African sub region of Nigeria and Ghana. It is called eba by the Yoruba people. Eba is made from a raw food, which is garri, but appears in two ways, which is either white or yellow. The dried grated cassava flour also goes through one of the processes of preserving foods, which is frying. Palm oil is being added to the one that is yellow when frying. Eba is prepared the same way as Amala, but does not need heating and over heating. It is easy to cook, and not as taxing as Amala. Eba is best served with Okra soup and assorted Beef.

3. Jollof rice (Chicken or Turkey)

Jollof rice is a reddish or orange colored rice (depends on how it is cooked). Although commonly considered as a Nigeria or Ghana recipe, it is eaten by many different cultures in West or Sub-saharan Africa. It is prepared with rice, and other ingredients. It is best served with fried chicken or turkey and vegetable.

4. Semovita (Efo Riro Soup)

Semovita is eaten by all tribe. It is made from wheat, and it is nutritious, healthy, and facilitates digestion. It is usually white in color. It is easy to cook like eba, and it is best served with efo riro and Assorted Beef.

5. Tuwo Shinkafa (Miyan Tashue Soup)

Tuwo Shinkafa is a Nigerian and Niger dish in Africa commonly eaten by the Northern people of Nigeria. It is a thick pudding prepared from overcooked local rice. It is usually white in color. It can be served with miyar kuka, miyar kubewa, and miyar taushe soup, but it is commonly and best served with miyar tashue soup.

  " There is no love sincerer than the love of food"- George Bernard shaw

One might say that native African cuisines invented the love of food. From the mouthwatering sweet delicacies to the eye tearing spicy foods, Africa laid the foundation for the definition of "stealing a man's heart with food". 

There are several a native dishes but the 5 listed below are easy to make wherever you are in Africa

5. Nkwobi 

Nkwobi is a delicious Nigerian delicacy usually ordered in restaurants or from street vendors making it seem like a complicated dish but is very easy to make. It is simply cooked cow foot minced in spicy palm oil paste.

4. Bunny Chow

Bunny chow is a South African dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with sliced curry. The filling can be anything ranging from curry to beans or meat. The best thing about this dish is that you can be creative with it.

3. Yassa

This Senegal dish is very popular throughout West Africa. It is a spicy dish prepared with onions and either marinated poultry or marinated fish. It can be eaten on its own as a dish or you can have it with a side of the white rice.

2. Hawawshi

This is popular Egyptian street food. It is dough stuffed with a mixture of ground beef that is seasoned with spices, onions, garlic, hot peppers and fresh herbs. You can make your dough from scratch or you can buy ready-made dough either ways you are going to end up enjoying your dish.

1. Egusi 

This Nigerian dish is a heart-stopper. Mostly eaten by the Igbo tribe in Nigeria but exceptionally famous in Africa. Made from ground melon seeds high in fat and protein with a mixture of leafy vegetables, this dish is extraordinary. It is eaten either with pounded yam or with rice. 

What dish are you going to start with? 

Where can you get the recipes from? 

Easy, you could get the recipes from the Internet or from famous YouTube cooking channels such as sisi Jemimah and you can try one dish every week.

 

 

If you have read up to this point, your mouth must be watery already. You can satisfy that hunger with any of these and thank me later.

There are many more native food you could eat but I'll advice you should start with these one i listed above and trust me you'll love every mouthful. 

 

Many things bond us together in Africa and food is one of such.