8 Must Try Foods in Nigeria
If you’ve not had food in West Africa at all before, Nigeria is a great place to begin. It is arguably the most influential food country in the region, and with a huge diaspora across the globe you can even find some of these foods close to home. Flavours of west African food are complex, spicy and made of incredible and sometimes strange textures. From street barbecue to slimy stews, here is our list of must try foods when you visit West Africa’s industrial beating heart.
Jollof Rice
Jollof rice is a red rice dish made from cooking rice in a spicy tomato sauce and is a stable side dish that can be found at all times of the day nearly everywhere in Nigeria and other countries in West Africa. The rice is flavourful and super delicious and is definitely an easy place to start when it comes to west African cuisine. The ultimate question is who does it better? Ghana or Nigeria? Obviously if you ask anyone from either country it will be hard to get a non-biased answer. We like to take a middle ground and say both are super yummy, but of course if speaking with a Nigerian, in Nigeria then we would say Nigerian jollof is better.
Fufu and Egusi
This is a must try staple of Nigerian cuisine and we will admit its not for everyone. As a foodie who will try everything I personally love it. Firstly, fufu or swallow is a form of soft squishy starch with many variations across the African continent made of different things such as corn, kasava, flour and all are formed into a solid squishy ball that you eat with your hands and dip into soups. My favourite fufu form in Nigeria is called akpu and is usually made from pounded yams.
Egusi is a very complex stew made from roughly 40 different ingredients (not even an exaggeration). This is the type of dish that you want made by an African aunty who has been making it for years. With ingredients such as locust beans, ground pumpkin seeds and red palm oil this sloppy orange dish has a slight fishy flavour with deep rich spicy tastes. Get messy with your fufu and eat like a local. You might love it you might not, either way you must try it. The only way to find out if you like it is if you try.
Ogbono
This is another form of slimy stew found in Nigeria. Many of the slimy stews here get their text from boiled down okra which forms a
very sticky runny texture that honestly isn’t for everyone, however for me personally it was a delicious slim that is super fun to eat. You can usually pick your protein in it, for which we recommend slow cooked goat. The flavour is complex and salty and is extremely filling when served with a ‘swallow’ such as akpu. If you want to avoid the more fishy flavours then ogbona is for you. This is our favourite stew we tried in Nigeria and we would definitely go back for more!
Suya
If you come to Nigeria and don’t eat suya, then you haven’t really been to Nigeria. Suya is sold on nearly every street corner, bar, restaurant, honestly anywhere! It is usually beef or chicken and is a simply a barbecue meat stick with suya seasoning. The seasoning is hot a spicy and you must eat it fresh with chopped onions and additional orange-coloured spice powder. This is a great bear snack when you’re looking to unwind. You can even get different versions of it not on a stick like ram suya or giant turkey wings which are heavenly. Suya is super cheap and a good portion usually goes for about 1-2000 Naira or roughly $1-2 USD.
Indo mie
If you’re from Indonesia or Australia than the indo mie brand won’t be anything new. Indo mie is a popular brand of two minute noodles that are widely available in Nigeria with billboards galore advertising it. They are simple in flavour usually using chicken bouillon. On the street you can get indo mie mixed with suya and a fried egg and extra spice. It is cheap, delicious and another must try!
Isi Ewu
This one is a bit more for the adventurous. Isi ewu is the head of a goat that is chopped up and served in a spicy delicious sauce. The sauce is honestly amazing but the pieces of head may be a bit hard for some to stomach. My favourite part was the eye, which usually I might avoid, however I’m glad I didn’t as it was absolutely a highlight! If you’re with friends and want to try something super local go for this one. Oh and it is also an amazing beer snack.
Pepper soup
Pepper soup is a clear spicy soup found across the country. It has a slight sour taste and varying levels of spice. Nigerian food in general is very spicy, so if you are spice averse this may not be the best one for you. However, if you do like spicy, then definitely get a spoonful of this in you. You won’t be disappointed.
Puff puff
Puff puff is small fried dough balls that you see sold everywhere from traffic lights to markets to bars. The small fried dough balls will be served with a spicy chilli sauce and are a great filler if you’re in a hurry.
Palm wine
We couldn’t mention Nigerian food without mentioning palm wine. This sour sweet and alcoholic (normally around 5%) beverage is a great way to wash down Nigerian foods. We recommend you drink it ice cold or diluted with ice cubes to have the best experience. If you leave it unrefrigerated it will start to ferment and gets a smell, but if you get it fresh it is delicious!
Join us in Africa
We love to show people as much as we can on tour and for us food is a very important part of your experience. If you want to come explore some of these foods with us then check our
Africa tours
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