Exotic Foods Pasalubong "souvenirs" From Nigeria

I am open minded to different kinds of foods and their preparation, long as it doesn't include snakes , insects , rats, maybe dogs as well.

In the recent years, i have been specially drawned to Nigerian food. Stew, plantain and beans, Anytime! Moi moi, pepe soup, Egusi, efo riro, peppered meat or gizzard, Ogbono soup, , okra soup ,yam and fried eggs are some of my favorites. I am still battling with acceptance of the party rice, i still think Ghana Jollof is better. I hate Bitter leaf soup.

My favorite snack is Kilishi... You dont understand, i munch on kilishi with a cold beer or chilled wine. I will explain what kilishi is later.
You can never go wrong with puff puff, and i would drink soaked garri any time of day, just make sure its ice cold, enough milk and groundnuts. lol.

A friend went home to Nigeria for a short visit and i wasn't embarrassed to give him my food shopping list. He only managed to get half of what i asked for, but atleast managed to bring other exotics.

For my love of Nigerian food , i think i can prepare some dishes as good as a correct 9ja babe, sometimes with a bit of a Tanzanian twist to it, a few who have had the pleasure can testify to this. Some fail to believe that i am not Nigerian.

Here are the Exotic Foods i Received.

I know.. Lol. Most Nigerians are serious about their exotic ingredients. And surprisingly, this dried fish does not smell as bad as most that i have come across over the years.
Before you prepare this , you have dip the fish in hot water, to of course remove all the impurities and also soften it. From the Nigerian soups i can make, this would go perfectly with the Egusi, but i think i got something even better in mind., peppered fish, or divide between the two. I am excited.

My Ijebu Garri.
This is the Ishhh you guys. From what i have come to know, gari can be either made into Pap (Eba) or make it as a cereal., i prefer the latter.
I literally told my friend that if he did not come back with Garri that he may as well just stay back in Nigeria, lol. Of course i was kidding.
For those who dont know, this is cassava in flour form(not so fine). I can't explain the whole process of making garri but at least you get the idea.
What i like most is to mix it with enough milk(fresh/powder) add some ground nuts(a bit salted, i like the contrast of sweet and salty) honey (sugar) , add some roasted coconut (honey roasted) and mix it up well, enjoy it best when i add some ice cubes. Cause for diabetes, i know!, but its super delicious, can have it all day, any day.

Now this Photo does not do this kilishi Justice, at all. Its basically beef jerky, and all the reddish stuff you see there, yes you got it, pepper!! Hot flaming chilli.
This thing is addictive yo', i'd compare it to the South Africa's biltong but it beats it, by far.
New way i have learnt to enjoy kilishi is to accompany it with Garri. Hehehe.

Sallah Meat.
I received about a kilo of this. For all those who may know, the Eid celebration for the muslims was about 3 weeks ago.
Eid al-Adha is the Festival of the Sacrifice, also called the "Sacrifice Feast" so the practise of slaughtering a Ram is a big deal . The meat is then shared between family, relatives, friends and the poor. I believe that its a sign of love and treasure when this meat is shared with you.

How did it last that long? Yeah same question i asked. I am told there is a drying technique they use that preserves the meat for long, without being refrigerated.. Really interesting stuff.

This is Dambu nama.. Yess, another dried meat, a delicacy which seems to be dominant in northern Nigeria. This is shredded meat floss, that can be eaten as a snack , sprinkled in rice or whatever way you see fit. I love it best in stir fry noodles.

Hang on, i am almost done.

I trully have never seen people who eat beans the way Nigerians do. Beans can be eaten as a meal on their own, with a bit of TLC of course, or just beans and Plantain, with bread or made into pottage. Maybe because the type of beans i have seen Nigerians use mostly are different from the kidney beans we use back in Tanzania.
Their beans are faster to cook, smaller in size and sweet, compared to the kidney beans.

I have fallen in love with the way they eat beans that is it one of my favorites now, Beans and plantain anytime. Lucky for me, i got like 5kgs, those should last Me a while. When i get chance to visit Nigeria, first thing i will want to eat is Ewa Agoyin and agege bread, please dont judge me. Lol.

People living abroad know very well that this treasure right here is a luxury when you are far from home, Palm oil! In swahili we call it Mafuta ya mawese.
Funny how i hated any food that was cooked with it when i was young, especially its smell. It's got a very strong, sharp smoky smell and that comes through in the food too if you don't know how to prepare / use it the right way.
My love for it came to life when i tasted one correct egusi soup made from palm oil, i decided to open my mind and heart to it. I also just recently discovered its good moisturizer for the hair and skin, will be soaking my self in that goodness as much as i can, while stock lasts.
I cant wait to make peppered dry fish with it, maybe tonight.

The all time favorite maggi cubes seasoning.

Oh and i also got short bread butter cookies, I don't have a photo because i finished the 3 packs instantly, They reminded me of Eet sum mor biscuits, the best ever.
I also finished the gala sausage roll instantly.

Thanx for dropping by mates, and ofcourse let me know that you were here by dropping your comments..

Xoxo