Nigeria: Recipes and Cuisine

Country | Nigeria Market Image

Nigeria is a large country located in West Africa. It is also the continent's most populous and one of its most diverse. Nigerian food is typical of Western Africa, but individual dishes vary by ethnic group. Popular dishes are jollof rice, dodo (fried plantains), fufu, or iyan (mashed yams), and moin moin (a bean pudding). Yams, cassava, rice and sorghum are common starches, while tomatoes, peppers, onions, peanuts and beans are important vegetables. Rich red palm oil flavors many dishes. Zobo, a drink from hibiscus blooms, quenches many a thirst.

Image Creative Commons by shawn-i-am

Nigerian Recipes

Dodo

(Nigerian fried plantains; see Plátanos Fritos recipe)

Fufu

Vegetables| Fufu Image

(West African mashed yams)

Fufu is a mash of yams or other starches served as an accompaniment to meat or vegetable stews. To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes. Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them. Read more »

Jollof Rice

Poultry | Jollof Rice Image

(West African chicken with rice)

Jollof rice probably originated from rice dishes eaten by the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia, but its popularity has spread to most of West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana. Based on rice, tomatoes and usually meat or fish, it is believed by some to be the origin of Cajun jambalaya. The Gambian version is called benachin. Also spelled jolof or djolof rice. Read more »

Zobo

(Nigerian hibiscus flower beverage; see Sorrel Punch recipe)