Five Meals That Are Indigenous To The South East

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This August, we’ve been going across some cities in Southeastern Nigeria as part of the Annual August Women’s meeting. In the cities we’ve been to so far, we’ve had the opportunity to meet several amazing women who have come out to welcome us, share their experiences and tell us how much they love our product offerings. We appreciate the love.

Since we’re focusing on Southeastern Nigeria this season, we will be showcasing some of the meals that are actually indigenous to the region. These meals can all be found in and are held in high esteem across several other cities in the country, but they are truly at home in the Southeast. Some would also argue that they can only be found in their best and most enjoyable forms here.

  1. Oha Soup

Oha soup is one of the cocoyam-base soups cooked in this part of the country. This is because cocoyam is used as the thickening agent in the soup. The soup gets its name from the oha leaf used in making the soup. Other ingredients used in making the meal include fish, meat, pepper, seasoning, spices, etc.

  1. Ofe Nsala

Ofe Nsala or White Soup is a delicious meal that is made with catfish. It gets the white name soup from the fact that no Palm Oil is added to the soup when preparing it. It is the catfish that gives the soup its unique taste, but in the absence of catfish, people have been known to try conger eels along with the recipe.

  1. Egusi

Egusi soup is indigenous to the Igbo people but is also a regular in many other regions of Nigeria. It is made using ground melon seeds, vegetables (which, depending on preference, could be pumpkin, green vegetables, bitter leaf or water leaf), meat, fish, spices and Palm Oil.

Try Mamador’s Egusi Soup recipe at home, click here to see how to make it.

  1. Okazi

Okazi is made with Okazi leaves, from which the soup gets its name and is responsible for its unique taste. The other ingredients used include stock fish, meat, crayfish, pepper, onions, and spices.

  1. Bitter-leaf Soup

Bitter leaf soup, like the Oha soup, is among the cocoyam-base soups, in that cocoyam is the active thickening agent used in making the soup. The vegetable used is the bitter-leaf which is also why the soup bears the name. The ingredients used for making this soup are similar to those used in Oha.

Now, like we said earlier, these soups can be found in restaurants outside Southeastern Nigeria, but they are truly in their element here and serve as staple meals in the region. They are usually enjoyed with garri, fufu and pounded yam.

We have a whole recipe section dedicated to the wonderful dishes of the South-East, see our favorites here and don’t forget to try them yourself at home!

What other meals from this region have you tried or know of?

Share with us in the comments section.

 

Mamador