The yam is the “king of crops” in Igbo tradition, but the table is much bigger than that. Many dishes are built from vegetables, leaves, peppers and palm oil, served with swallows made of cassava or yam.
Ji (yam)
Boiled, roasted or pounded. The New Yam festival celebrates the harvest.
Ofe oha
A soup of tender oha leaves, thickened with cocoyam, rich with flavour.
Ofe onugbu
Bitterleaf soup. Washing the leaves is an art, and so is serving them.
Abacha
African salad of shredded cassava with palm oil, spices and garden egg.
Ugba
Fermented oil-bean seeds, a savoury treat often eaten with stockfish.
Oji (kola nut)
More than a snack: offering and sharing kola is a welcome and a blessing.
Nkwobi
Spiced cow foot in a thick palm-oil sauce, popular at celebrations.
Nkwu (palm wine)
Tapped from palm trees and shared at ceremonies.
Recipes vary from town to town and family to family. If you cook one, you are cooking history.