User:Rmiller
From The Peopling of New York City
This is Regina Miller
The different tastes and aromas of West African food is due to the variety of trade going on in that region. European traders introduced beans and maize, while Asian people brought cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg to the West African civilization. Due to the ethnic diversity, in Nigeria, there isn’t just one national dish. There are, however, foods that are available only during certain seasons and those that are a dime a dozen such as pineapples, bananas, mangoes, and limes. Still, almost 8% of the population of Nigeria is considered malnutritioned. Muslims, living in Nigeria, focus their diets towards beans, rice and other skewered meat. Other natives enjoy pumpkin dishes as well as dumplings made of “cassava powder” and yams (Isu). People living near the coastline enjoy a variety of stews that consists of seafood, such as shrimp and clams. These soups go by the name of “Efo”. All these meat and rice is marinated in ginger and peanut oils in order to bring out the exotic tastes. Nigerians buy their foods from street vendors, restaurants, or peddlers. These dishes come in a range of colors and smells. “Moin-moin” is a steamed cake, consisting of ground beans and fish. “Ukwaka” is a pudding made of corn and plantains. Chilies are in most of the dishes and a phrase heard around the country is “The man that eats no pepper is weak, pepper is the staff of life...". During feasts, West African cuisine consists of yams (iyan), liver, rice and chicken stew (jollof), and goat meat (obe didn). To finish everything off, teas and coffee is a must. The daily routine for most of the West African civilization consists of waking up at five in the morning for breakfast, made up of fruits such as fried plantains (dodo). The rest of the daily courses are usually cooked on an open fire, and eaten with hands, even meals like egusi (famous soup). It’s made of meat, chilies, shrimp, and greens. The best cuisines of the day are the snacks. West African snacking traditions range from chili dip to an assortment of meats to fried peanut spheres. Chinchin are fried pastries, akara is a deep fried cake made of peas, suya is spicy meat on a skewer, and kulikui is deep fried peanut paste. Food is scarce, in certain communities, and most of the time children are fed first. Street venders, selling cookies and fruits, allow children to eat during the day, in order to have enough energy to travel long distances, form destination to the next. Fast food is also becoming very popular in Western Africa.
The meals cooked in the homes of the natives of West Africa aren’t just cooked for friends and family, but for any dwellers passing by the region.