What do you eat in Nigeria?

 

We are often asked when we visit the United States, "What do you eat in Nigeria?" 

Compliments of Aunty

Nnenna who has a food snapchat going, here's a "taste" for you! 

 

 

 

Upon seeing this picture, Mariama asks"Tuwo! Are we going to eat it?" because it is her favorite food.  This tuwo is made from a very big potato like tuber called yam and pounded in a mortar.

"Pizza mommy, pizza! I want to say I love you to it." -Mariama

Strawberries...a seasonal treat. Daso and Aunty Nnenna ate strawberry shortcake for the first time!

Often our Friday food is special!  Like hamburgers, fries, and coleslaw! Everything made from scratch.

Different colors?  That's because we've found that Daso is allergic to milk!  Pancakes are a Saturday or Sunday specialty! We grind our wheat in the blender, and the white flour comes from the market.

You know that easy meal from a jar? Well, this spaghetti has tomatoes that were brewed for over an hour, garlic that was  peeled from teeny little cloves, basil leaves that needed to be plucked, washed, and the sand removed, onions that make you cry like you just stubbed your pinky toe, meat that you called to get ground that morning and picked up from your favorite meat seller, Mr Lucky, and Parmesan cheese imported from the United States.  No jars involved, but it still tastes great!

No one can say you're suffering when you can make your own hummus, and buy avocados year round at a great price, slathering it on bread you bought from the bakery a block away.

 

Cheesecake is a big treat when you use Philadelphia, but when you can buy buttermilk from a local Fulani woman sitting on the side of a busy 4 lane road, drained the whey through a multi-purposed baby's wrapping cloth overnight to find creamy cheesiness in the morning...from the conception of the idea, your mouth waters...then you wait for three days until it actually happens.
I imagine the conversation: "Why are you drooling, Christy?"  "I'm thinking about my cheescake I'm going to make next week when I finally remember to bring my bucket to my Fulani friend, and make my cream cheese...of course."  

Now this is a good snack! Sent to her from the U.S. by someone who raised her children in Nigeria, Mariama is enjoying cheerios.  This has to be the first time I ever cried for joy upon seeing cheerios!

Left-over yam is made into yam balls! Deep-fried yumminess.

 

Alele (Moi-Moi...the orange thing)
is made from
skinned and ground black eyed peas.
It happens to be one of Mariama's favorite
foods.  The blender was dropped the other day
and I wanted the offender to understand
the importance of the blender.  I said, "No more
smoothies, ground wheat, peanut butter,
tomato sauce or hummus.  No more Moi-moi..."
Mariama cut in and with thick disapointment said,
"No more moi-moi?" Well, I guess I know what's
on the top of her list!