Dear Yawande;
Your have a truly beautiful writing style!!
The way you introduce us to Nigerian Cooking, by explaining the history and regional versitality of the recipies you selected is nothing else but „magnificent“.
I know quite a lot about the Central African „Cuisine“ as my adopted family comes from the Belgien Congo.
Once I have found a specialty food store, where I can find the spices and other special ingredients you recommend, then you can be sure that I will surprise/delight my Congolese friends with a Nigerian feast.
Carry on being an Ambassador for Nigeria, the world is a better place when we share our culture and that what defines us with others..
I have been a „foreigner“, or „citizen of the world“ as one of my College professors at Middlebury College defined me -to my delight - so I always am thrilled to be introduced to new cultural „secrets“, which can only serve to enrich our lives and „maybe“ help to soften up/reduce precudices..
I look forward to future „cross-over“ recipies!!!!!
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Thank you for your writing! It is easy to understand and detailed. I feel it is interesting, I hope you continue to have such good posts
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My daughter is studying Nigerian cooking for a school history project, and we're going to make several of these recipes to share with her class. What a great resource, and amazing stories!
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I’m a little late knowing you Yewande. I’ve tried a few of your 10 Essential Nigerian Recipes. When I returned from Ife, Oyo State, some many moons ago, I had to cook big egusi soups (some for take home), with an assortment of meats, and dodo of course, because my sons and friends wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you for the Jollof rice, suya and pepper soup recipe advice, especially. Could never pluck up my cooking nerve to prepare pepper soup, though I talked about it to my D. C. friends and family. I explained, that my Yoruba friends served pepper soup after our friends had given birth or prepared it for a close relative who was unwell.
Thanks again Yewande for your tremendous work and creativity.
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My first time making her recipe was last year when it was first featured. I made the jollof rice which was a hit to my Nigerian friends. I wish I can make the flavor more smoky. This is now my go-to recipe. Looking to branch out to other recipes, next will be the goat pepper soup.
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@Porter
Try liquid smoke. A few drops will get you to nirvana.
Good luck !
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Yewande Komolafe needs to be highlighted more New York give her more articles.
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A student at the brand new University of Nigeria invited me to his place for lunch. He served Ogosi soup which was delicious. My spelling is probably wrong, but it has the proper sounds without the three tones of Igbo.
Love this article and the recipes!
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I'm late to the game here, but super excited to try. I've seen many variations to this, but not from Lagos.
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Everything looks delicious!
One typo under Agege bread: "It’s distinctiveness is in its texture and sweetness"
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Ooooo! Definitely have the rice and puff-puff pastry in my short list. Yum! Thanks so much for sharing - and reminding everyone of how rich Anerica is vis-a-vis her cultural diversity :)
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It was a mistake for me to read this with my morning chai. My oatmeal will be a sorry substitute for the food read about here. But the pounded yam video has me thinking about a big old cook pot I have, my grill, a large ax stave, and, presuming I can find a big batch of yams, testing the limits of my neighbors' and wife's view of my sanity. Although my "dancing" might be an insult to Nigerians everywhere...oh, my!
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I'm curious to know if you tried using the Instant Pot to make the nkwobi, Ms. Komoflafe, and if so, how it turned out.
I'm betting that the Braised Goat Leg in Obe Ata would work very well in the IP.
This was lovely, thank you. Having read several books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,I often asked myself what are the dishes she makes such an important part of her writing. You have answered some of those questions.
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Wonderfully written and photographed!
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I'm an passable amateur cook, but the point is I LOVE to cook! (my wife thinks I do better than most restaurants, who am I to disagree with her?) I'm a guy who likes creating flavor.
Thanks for this and other food/cook pieces (I avoid the term "foodie").
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@J Darby
Of course meant "a", not "an passable". Apologies.
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Brilliant article! I cannot wait to explore Nigerian cuisine, more. I was however surprised foufou was not on the list.
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@Smoove
Agreed, I'm going to explore it as well. Born & raised LI guy here.
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Although I was completely unversed in Western African cuisine until reading this article, I feel like I’ve had a taste and it as savory, spicy and satisfying. The author was so vivid in her imagery, my mouth is still watering. Plus, the smile on her face and her vibrant personal style make me feel like she’d be a great person to cook with and dine with. She personifies the Joy of Cooking (Awesome Nigerian Food).
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Excellent article by Ms. Komolafe!
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What a wonderful article celebrating Nigerian cuisine. A truly captivating and descriptive piece. I am very excited to try the recipes! Thanks for sharing. Look forward to more from you.
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This is a beautifully written article by Yewande Komolafe. I want to read more articles in the NYT by her. I can't wait to prepare these wonderful dishes!!!
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First, I commend Ms. Yewande for introducing Nigerian cuisine to those not already familiar with strong and nourishing delicacies from West Africa. Thumbs up to jollof rice and fried plantains. However, she has limited her selection mostly to Yoruba dishes (in South-western Nigeria). In a very diverse country of 200 million people, each region is capable of producing its own list of "top ten" world-class cuisine.
How could the superbly wonderful and universally acclaimed Edikang Ikong soup be missing in any write up about Nigerian dishes? Egusi and Goat Pepper soups also are staples beloved and consumed in every part of the country. In particular, a celebration anywhere in Nigeria without goat pepper soup on the menu would be, well, a disgrace! These are just a few dishes more popular nationwide than many recipes chosen by the author.
Great article; however, the audience could have been better informed with a diverse and more accurate portrayal of delicious Nigerian culinary.
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@Merlin
She did say as much in her article though. That Nigeria is vast and she is featuring just a few foods with a South West bias. I am sure Nkwobi and Edika Ikong will feature in a next write-up
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I appreciate the author’s writing and enthusiasm for Nigerian recipes, but why, along the way, is it necessary to denigrate chicken soup and mashed potatoes? If her tastebuds have never been ignited by chicken soup, I invite her to try mine (soup, that is).
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@David Morris Denigrate is a strong word. After eating the very rich flavors and spices of Nigerian food for 16 years, I can see why chicken soup would have been a shock to her pallet.
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Beautifully written. So much imagery in the writing that you really don't need the pictures of the recipes and when you so see the pictures of the foods, perfection is achieved. Love this piece so much. Nigerian cuisine is uhmmm delicious. Give your life a kick, eat some pepper
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Try Somali-Ethiopian-Swaziland food...and of course Nigerian...Ibo?Yoruba?
Ms Komolafe has written a beautiful treatise of some of the more common Nigerian foods. However, Nigeria is a very beautifully diverse country, as diverse in ethnicity as in palates and foods. There are foods from the Southeastern part like the famous Edika-Ikong soup and Ukazi soups. My country folks in the Northern regions also have their Miyan Taushe, a spicy groundnut and pumpkin stew...I love exposing my Non-Nigerian friends to the variety of flavors and foods that exist and can be modified with ingredients found here in the US. Yewande is absolutely right on one thing, Jollof rice takes the cake. You have to eat it to believe it.
Kudos to Ms. Komolafe for showcasing the country of my birth so beautifully in prose and pictures.
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This series is a very welcome expansion of my knowledge and culinary repertoire. Very much looking forward to trying some of these dishes.
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Seeing your incredibly beautiful smile, I would try to cook anything you suggest!
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@Michael
Seriously, what does her smile have to do with her recipes or her cooking? Your comment comes across as trying to compensate for the racism of others.
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Well done Yewande! An excellent selection and your descriptions had me planning lunch and dinner.
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This is one big reason I subscribe to the Times! If our current administration is tearing apart the world, maybe food can sew us back together.
But Yewande, we need some tips on where to find the spices, greens, etc. in the NY metro area please! I don't know of any Nigerian markets-- can other ethnic markets, e.g. Indian, be a source?
And sorry, the goat's head is a non-starter. Food is important, but second to marital bliss!
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@rich
My jersey knowledge is limited but I imagine you have African groceries Markets. In NYC, the terminal market in Brooklyn is a treasure trove of African food ingredients, you can get everything you need. There are two very large African grocers there. Also 116th street in Harlem aka Little Senegal has several food markets. There is a market called Owa in Brooklyn that also has a lot of stuff. Also, several of these recipes can be made without the “next level ingredients.” Happy cooking!!!
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@rich
When teaching school in Nigeria, I was served goat's head stew at a celebration- as an honored guest I got a jawbone with teeth in my bowl. The taste was great, but the experience is so burned in my memory (including the pepper!) that I will ALWAYS remember the surprise of that jaw my meal! Just think of the impact at your next dinner party - don't give up on the goat head!
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As the great Talmudic Scholar, Jerry Lewis, said, “G_d bless the cook, let’s eat”.
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I love Nigerian food, and it's not because I'm Nigerian.
World, we are coming. She just gave you a small part of mostly Western Nigerian dishes. She has not even touched Eastern Nigeria with our Oha soup, South South with our Edikang Ikong, South Central with Banga, North with Tuwo & Miyan Geda. She has not included Moi-moi and our designer stews, fried goat meat and pepper soap. We will still take over the world, just wait for us.
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Bring it on! The World is waiting for the next big thing. Why not Nigerian food?
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Tonight’s menu just changed. Now I’m craving jollof rice. Thank you, Yewande Komolafe.
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Best wishes of success to Ms. Komolafe in her derive to widen the gastronomic horizons of the New Yorkers, but it is difficult to see anything African on the table covered with US packaged food and appliances. Besides, the reader's attention is diverted to the exotic earrings and eclectic hairdo of the chef.
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@Tuvw Xyz I am a Nigerian and i have never been to the US. This entire article, display and all is spot on. If you are familiar with these delicacies, you'd notice here hair and earrings when you scroll back up. I did!
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@tuv wxyz because she didn’t have tattoos , now we talk about eating and hairdo ! When is style be out of cuisine ?
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Now I'm really hungry...
Well written and the food looks delish!!!
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This piece is brilliant, and Yewande Komolafe is an amazing writer.
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This is a controversial list. Kenyans might claim Puff Puff as Mandazi. Ugandans might claim fried plantain as their own. But there is no argument that we need more recipes for African food here and everywhere. Thank you Ms Komolafe
PS - Your recipe for chickpea and squash salad is my favorite - of anything.
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Come on!
Djolof rice is a Senegalese dish , of course you can borrow it ,but “ give Caesar what belongs to Caesar “
and if you don’t know ; natives Senegalese will instead use the word Djolof to refer to their country
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But are these recipes Kosher? Oy Vey!
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Let the jollof wars begin!!!! (Naija v. Ghana) lol!!
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Oh my my!! Incredible, well-written article! Engaging and vivacious! Looove the food selection and photos! Love our food! Yum! Well done Yewande! Eku se o!!!
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Such amazing recipes for me to try...love the food styling too. Great article and writer.
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What a great article! And her writing is so lively and descriptive. I'm going to save many of these recipes to try later especially the frejon. Thank you for the recipes and fantastic photography!
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I like your writing style Yewande Komolafe!
Looking forward to creating some of these dishes.
Thank you for sharing.
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Great Writing Gal!
I really like your hair, too!
Thanks for the recipies. They fall right in line with my SW/Cajun fusion line. I look forward to joining them up with my own style.
Wish you the best. Lovely style and verbal grace. Blessings.
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Thank you for the recipes. I still remember the food I ate when I was working in Nigeria; I loved the jollof rice and often ate pepper chicken and bitter leaf soup. My first attempt at cooking yam was horrific: I picked up the yam, like picking up a large piece of tree trunk, and ran hot water over it from the tap, to clean it. Hundreds of yam beetles ran out from the crevices and up my arms.
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what a glorious surprise to find in the times! over the years, i have begged my Nigerian friends to make me what they simply call "stew," and now i know what it is - obe ata. their version is a little different, built on "frying" tomato paste until it turns dark, but it's the same flavor-packed sauce. i'll never get it quite right, but this recipe has inspired me to keep trying!
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Good read and incredibly good pictures. I was expecting to see a starch/soup combo, though I imagine because of the incredible ethnic diversity of Nigeria and how that informs what starch and soup one knows how to cook, that’s why it might be difficult to choose one for the country in its entirety. Nice read all the same.
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Wonderfully written! Mouthwatering descriptions accompanied by great photography. If Ms. Komolafe isn't currently writing a recipe book, she should. Furthermore, we need an upscale chain of Nigerian restaurants serving authentic Nigerian food. I think Ms. Komolafe would be a great chef to launch such a project starting in NY.
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Reminds me of the days I hung out in Lagos. Suya was my thing. It was so hot and spicy, but I loved it!. The writing and the photography are amazing. I love to see articles of these overlooked cuisines, keep it up! Also when is the cookbook coming out? Nigeria is a place that is so full of stories that we don't get enough of in the west. Thanks for the memories!
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All excellent!!
I would have added akara (frites) or moi-moi (both bean dishes) instead of frejon. As they are more popular dishes.
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This was just so much fun to read! I'm sure Ms. Komolafe is a great cook, but she's a terrific writer.
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What an absolute joy to read this bit of culinary cultural magic! This is the kind of writing I love.
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The writing is absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try the recipes themselves. When is Ms. Komolafe's cookbook being published? Surely she is writing one!
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I loved loved loved the writing, it made me immediately go in search of a cookbook, although I think anything written by Yewande Komolafe would go far beyond any ordinary cookbook. I plan to try your jollof rice recipe but . . . as a half Nigerian, half Liberian, raised in Liberia, I have to say Liberian jollof rice is the best (as I run off before my Nigerian card get snatched!!!).
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Amazing photos! Makes my mouth water and motivates to try something new! Thanks!
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Thank you, nytimes and Yewande Komolafe. I was raised in Missouri, but I was born in Ikot Ekpene in southeastern Nigeria, and Jollof is the only one of these recipes I had any real inkling of. I can't wait try at least a couple of them.
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Haven’t even arrived at the recipes yet as I was so entranced by the intro. Vivid and loving. Ok, back to the recipes...
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Your vivid descriptions were so perfect that they left my mouth watering and a feeling of being homesick when it came to an end. Thank you for an article that reminds me of the beauty of our cuisine! Will be trying your recipes especially the fish pepper soup. Congratulations and I look forward to reading more of your work!
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What a lovely article that evokes the color of the regions where these recipes originate. I have enjoyed variations of many of these foods in Ghana (red-red remains a favorite and is worth finding a recipe for!). I will make the rice for a friend who is from Ghana and will be visiting me in August. Thanks!
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Thank you for sharing your culture and kitchen. I love cooking, but am intimidated by recipes that are not at least a little familiar. This article gave me the extra boost of courage to try something completely new!
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Yewande is not only a talented chef, but also a vivid and poetic writer. She makes you taste and feel the flavors and textures with all your senses. And she evokes the color and spirit of Nigerian life in the preparation and eating of these amazing dishes. Yewande, congratulations! Hope to read more from you.
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What a joy to read this piece, absolutely brilliant! But painful, too, as it reminded me of the great tastes I miss so dearly. I will try to recreate, alas my cooking skills are mightily lacking. I so wish I could find a decent plate of pounded yam in NYC; but they make it hear using yam flour rather than a properly pounded yam. Yes, there is a big difference! The writer here has provided plenty to get started whatever the case! I salute her and thank her from the bottom of my... stomach!
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Delicious adventure reading this article!
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Completely masterful! What fascinating and articulate expression of select "Nigerian Cuisine". So vivid that my palate nearly left my mouth in search for these delicacies...I cried when I saw the tasty goat legs in that Obe ata. Awesome work Yewande and all who put this together!!! Question: Where is akara? Meanwhile, I am headed to a Nigerian restaurant in search of "Stewed Amaranth Greens" :)
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Article saved and now saving recipes on NY Times Cooking. She’s terrific!
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Just at a dinner with friends last night and talking about Nigerian food! Will try the beef skewers recipe and donuts soon. Meanwhile, please can someone tell me where Yewande's dress is from? So beautiful
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@amy
The dress is from my brand, Busayo NYC, thank you for your kind words, it’s in a design tradition called Adire (also from Nigeria). The article is soooo luscious.
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What skill! To expand ‘delicious’ from a gustatory, to a literary, visual and intellectual experience is an incredible feat. I feel I just tasted with my whole being and it tasted like home. For those of us that live and work in spaces where our culture is not “included in the conversation,” this is a beautiful and rousing call to action. Thank you Yewande and thank you the New York Times!
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Yes, this is wonderful. I'm a great fan of all of Africa's food and I applaud this because it's so familiar, just like cow foot soup in the Caribbean and jambalaya in New Orleans. I could go on with food origins and associations, but let me just say, Great article. There's a book published out of The Foodway Alliance at the University of Mississippi-Oxford that premises all American food is African in origin (who knew this statement/analysis would come from Mississippi).
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Yum! Those recipes look totally gorgeous!
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So much JOY! Seeing Nigerian cuisine so reverently and joyfully presented in the NYT (on my birthday no less) is so joyful! Every single one of these dishes is familiar, no etched on my palette and my heart. These are memories made manifest and moments made tangible with every bite, smell and taste. Thank you so much!
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@AOD,
I spent several years working in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Lagos and the south, as well as the Portugese and Belgian colonial countries.
I still miss Palm Oil Chop, which my wife tries hard to emulate.
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And a Happy Birthday!
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Yessssss this is amazing! I worked in Lagos for 6 months on a project, and we had some combination of jollof, fish/chicken/goat pepper soup, suya, and a number of other dishes every single day. The flavours were bold and vibrant, just like Lagos. I miss it a lot and will definitely try out some of these recipes. Thank you for highlighting an oft ignored part of the world when it comes to cuisine - look forward to seeing more of these guest columns!
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I miss Nigeria! Oh, sorry, I am in Nigeria!! Lol. Seriously though, the explosion of the global foodie culture, especially in Lagos, has resulted in somewhat of a dilution of our traditional palates along with its (debatable) health benefits.
Sushi, Italian, Thai, fried chicken, US style BBQ, and the perennial favorites Indian and Lebanese, all fabulous flavors, but I long for the days when I did not have to look forward to parties to get a good dose of Jollof rice, plantain and asun!
Incredibly well written article!
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@yetunde lol, this is so true, when I am visiting Lagos have to tell everyone why would I want to eat pizza and thai in Lagos?!? To stuff myself with egusi soup and garri, Jollof rice and plantain day and night is my purpose. This was such a wonderfully written article.
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Can we give it up for the food styling and the photography though? I'm so used to West-African cuisine being cooked in more of a homestyle - rich, humble and honest with large pots, soul-food -like and barely any styling.
But i'm loving seeing it styled and photographed in a slightly different way.
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What a wonderful article and so many great recipes! I'll admit, my experiences of food in West Africa were mixed (with Senegal being far and away the best), but I'm glad to see West African food traditions being given a spotlight. There are so many tasty dishes and interesting approaches that should be much more widely known than they are.
It also acts as a reminder to the more insular Western readers that Africa is a continent rich with culture of every kind (including culinary)....something too many Westerners forget!
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the writing is beyond lucid - the descriptions are dreamy, ecstatic. and for someone new to the cuisine - inviting and compelling. thank you.
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OMG these all look amazing. And her writing makes them jump off the page to the point where i can almost taste them! Well done - now I'm off to a store to try to find some of these ingredients. Wish me luck!
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This woman can write! This is a delightfully engaging article. I hope the Times will employ her frequently, not just as a "guest" writer coming up with a 10-best list. She's a wonderful new voice (well, new to me). Thank you, Ms. Komolafe!
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