Bòòlì, another delicious way to eat a plantain

The plantain is a versatile fruit. Fried, boiled or roasted, this tropical fruit retains its deliciousness in all of it’s many forms. The preparation I want to consider today is roasted. In Yoruba we call the roasted plantain bòòlì. Simply place a plantain on the grill, turning it constantly until it starts browning. Booli is [...]

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Amala and abula

Do you take amala? is one of the first questions any Nigerian person asks me when they meet me for the first time. When I respond “Of course, I love to eat amala and abula,” they erupt into a fit of laughter and tell any Yoruba person in the near vicinity that this Oyinbo just [...]

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Thanksgiving in Nigeria

Kitchens all across the United States are filled with boiling pots, hot ovens, delicious aromas and anxious cooks hoping the turkey turns out right. The last Thursday in November is the same as any other day in Nigeria. People in America ask me, “do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Nigeria?” The answer is deep. American Thanksgiving [...]

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Food: Indomie

When it comes to a quick, grab-n-go meal in Ibadan, the options are scarce. Yoruba food is not something you pop in the microwave or throw in a toaster oven. Most people do not have these appliances at home anyway. All of the dishes require a pot, fire and preparation. They take time to prepare [...]

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The Yorùbá food culture

Food–how we eat it, how we prepare it and who we enjoy it with is a window into every culture. Yorùbá culture surrounding food is quite different than the that in the United States and everywhere else I’ve been. The Yorùbás follow a certain set of customs when eating. While they are widely practiced, they [...]

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Fried Plantains–Dòdò

Fried plantains are a staple food here and in many other countries around the world. We call it dòdò in Yorùbá. It is really hard to screw up dòdò but here is a rough explanation of the recipe. To make dòdò: 1. Buy plantains 2. Use a knife to cut open the plantain. The skin [...]

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A 21st Birthday Yorùbá Style

When Kevin “Kayode” Barry turned 21, his host family threw him a modern-day Yorùbá birthday party. Naturally, I made a video. Enjoy! Here is a video of Keegan “Kolade” O’Neil’s speech to the birthday boy, all in Yorùbá of course.

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Food: Dried Fish

I really like fish. Salmon, halibut, tilapia–yes please. Raw fish in sushi–excellent. ‘Eja gbigbe’ the curled up brown thing you see in the bowl above is a different breed. ‘Eja gbigbe’ means dried fish in Yoruba and is extremely popular here. Mainly Hausa people make and sell it. You see it all over the markets [...]

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Moin-moin

Today’s Yoruba dish: Moin-moin. On the plate above, moin-moin are the two reddish things next to the egg. Yoruba people have been eating the same dishes since beginning of their existence. We will get into other dishes later, but for today, I want to talk about Moin-moin, also called Olele. Moin-moin is made out of [...]

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