Cuisine of Nigeria

Nigerian cuisine, like West African cuisine in general, is known for its richness and variety. Many different spices, herbs and flavourings are used in conjunction with palm oil or groundnut oil to create deeply-flavoured sauces and soups often made very hot with chilli peppers. Nigerian feasts are colourful and lavish, while aromatic market and roadside snacks cooked on barbecues or fried in oil are plentiful and varied. [H.O. Anthonio & M. Isoun: "Nigerian Cookbook." Macmillan, Lagos, 1982.]

An incomplete list of examples of Nigerian dishes:
*Afang is a vegetable soup which has its origin from the Efiks in the southeast of Nigeria.
*Iyan is made from pounded yam, similar to mashed potatoes but all mashed with no yam chunks left.
*Amala (or "aririguzofranca") is a thick paste or porridge made from yam skin, which had been peeled, cleaned, dried and then blended similar to iyan but normally darker(brown) in colour.
*Lafun is a basically amala but much lighter in colour, not to be confused with iyan, tastes totally different.
*Groundnut stew is perhaps the jewel in the crown of Nigerian cooking, with groundnuts, tomato and onion as the base, it can be infinitely varied with chicken, beef or fish and different leaf vegetables for subtle flavours.
*Chin Chin is a fried sweet cookie made from wheat flour and eggs
*Draw soup (or "okoroenyeribe") is made from okro or melon seeds cooked until they 'thicken.'
*Eba, also called [gari] is, like amala, a very thick paste, rolled into balls and made from cassava (manioc).
*Egusi soup is thickened with ground melon seeds and contains leaf vegetables, other vegetables, seasonings, and meat.
*Fried plantain (or "dodo") is a side dish of plantains fried in vegetable oil or palm oil.
*Fufu (or "nri ji") is a thick and very smooth paste made from yams or cocoyam, but any starchy staple can be used such as potato, cassava, plantains, maize.
*Iru is fermented locust beans used as a condiment in cooking and is typically added to egusi soup and ogbono soup.
*Jollof rice consists of rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper and a variety of vegetables and meats, and can constitute a complete banquet on a plate.
*Kunu is a popular drink made of either millet, sorghum or maize.
*Moimoi is a steamed bean pudding made from a mixture of washed and peeled black-eyed beans, onions and fresh black pepper wrapped in a moimoi leaf (like a banana leaf).
*Ogbono soup is made with ground ogbono seeds, with leaf vegetables, other vegetables, seasonings, and meat.
*Groundnut soup is made with grounded dry groundnuts and with vegetables, fish, meat local seasoning and palmoil. It is common amongst Etsakor people in Edo state.
*Suya is a meat kebab coated with groundnuts (peanuts) and chilli pepper.
*Sobo is a drink made of roselle juice.
*Efo soup or Tabot stew is a stew made from leafy vegetables and tastes nice when eaten with fish. It is common among the Yorubas.
*Corn soup also known locally as 'Omi Ukpoka' is made with grounded dry corn and blended with smoked fish. It is common with Afemai people mainly from Agenebode in Northern Edo state
*Pate is made with grounded dry corn or rice or ACHA. Mostly combined with Vegetable (Spinach), tomatoes, onions, pepper, garden egg, locust beans, Ground nut, biscuit bone and meats minces. It is common within the North-Western Nigeria, likes of Kaduna, Nassarawa and Plateau.
*Kosai is a beignet from a dough based on black-eyed beans
*Coconut rice. Rice boiled with coconut milk. Rich in spices and vegetables

References