Alkali is a Hausa snack prepared with local ingredients by the Hausa people. It is a snack served to visitors, mostly during special occasions. Like at weddings, it is usually prepared in large quantities for the bride to welcome her visitors and well-wishers. There...
Semovita is a popular Nigerian food commonly eaten in many parts of Nigeria. In this write-up, I will teach you how to make Tuwon Semovita. It is very smooth, moldable, and easy to prepare. In addition, it is prepared just like Tuwon Masara, Tuwon Dawa, and the like...
Fate is a Hausa term that means "anything in a watery form," and shinkafa means "rice." Therefore, Faten Shinkafa refers to a meal made using braised rice. The letter 'n' in the word 'Faten' simply denotes ownership. In this post, I'll share my knowledge of how to...
Masa/Waina/Rice pancake, whatever you call it, is a Northern Nigerian delicacy that is consumed mostly by the Hausa tribe, but other tribes eat it too. I know I do. It is delicious. There is a special rice for this delicacy called "the soft, short grain". This is...
Are you a tourist, a foodie, or simply a Nigerian who hasn’t been to the Northern part and plans to do so? Whatever the situation, allow me to be your food guide to some weirdly named finger-licking Northern cuisines. I will be sharing with you some of the popular foods from Northern Nigeria. Before then, let’s take a little detour and see how it all started.
Nigeria is blessed with over 200 ethnic groups and almost 500 languages across its six geopolitical zones. These zones have one thing in common: a love for rich, tasty, spicy, and aromatic food. More so, these foods are uniquely made with certain ingredients found in their various zones, and they have become the signature food of that particular region. Be it Amala and Ewedu from the South West, Pounded Yam and Egusi from the East, Black Soup from Edo, Afang Soup by the Efik and Ibibio, Banga Soup from the Urhobos, and the list goes on.
However, this article focuses on the Northern foods everyone must try at least once.
This is a thick pudding made from different types of grains and served with different soups. We have Tuwon Shinkafa (rice swallow), Tuwon Masara (maize swallow), and Tuwon Dawa (guinea corn swallow). The soups are Miyan Kuka (a soup made with dried baobab leaves turned into powder) and Miyan Kubewa (okra soup, either fresh or dry).
This is surely one of the most popular foods in Northern Nigeria.
This is made from rice and is usually served during breakfast with kunu (pap) by the side. Speaking of kunu, it is the next thing on this list.
More so, Kunu is one of the popular foods from Northern Nigeria. Just like Tuwo, it is made from different grains. We have Kunun Shinkafa (rice pap), Kunun Gyada (pap made with groundnut paste), Kunun Gero (millet pap), Kunun Masara (maize pap), Kunun Aya, and Kunun Tsamiya (pap made with tamarind).
This is made from soybeans, and it is fried in hot oil and eaten with yaji (ground chili pepper). It’s sometimes dipped in whisked eggs before being fried.
This is one of the popular foods in Northern Nigeria. The North isn’t the North without Shinkafa da Wake. It is accompanied by Yaji.
More so, it comes with garnishing too: lettuce, tomato, and cucumber by the side.
Another food you should try is Danwake. This right here is my personal favorite. It is made from wheat flour with a small amount of dried baobab leaves powder.
It’s eaten with yaji and oil too, with the same garnishing as the Shinkafa da Wake and boiled egg.
Gurasa is one of the popular foods from Northern Nigeria. This is made mainly from flour and water. Moreover, it is been prepared and consumed in different ways. We have the bandashe. Here, it is made with ground kuli-kuli (groundnut cake), cabbage, cucumber, tomato, and onion by the side.
It is served with the famous Suya too.
This is called gwate, pate, gote, tere, etc. It can be made from acha, rice, or maize, with smoked or dried fish and Aleho (green) or Shuwaka (bitter leaf).
The chicken or meat is shredded and cooked so deliciously into a floss. While the rice is broken into smaller pieces and cooked. This is one of the popular foods in Northern Nigeria.
This is just boiled spaghetti, accompanied by Palm oil and yaji again
Unlike pancakes, Wainar Fulawa is been fried with palm oil and eaten with yaji.
I saved the best for the last. This right here is a good life. It can be made from beef, mutton, chicken, or goat meat, and served with yaji.
There are a lot of delicious foods in the North, I just made mention of a few. As you can see, yaji plays a vital role when serving these delicious meals. It is been sold on its own, made with rich ingredients. So, when you find yourself in the North, you know exactly what to order in terms of food.
If you find this article helpful, kindly leave a message in the comments section below.
Kosan Rogo is one of the various northern cuisines that many love. Its major ingredient is cassava. It is easy to make and tastes great when done well. Kosan rogo, also called Dan na rogo or Wainan rogo can be done in two major ways: either by using cassava flour or...
Dambun Shinkafa otherwise known as Rice Couscous is a northern Nigerian delicacy and is widely consumed by northerners. The recipe is made with braised rice. I love this recipe and I learned how to prepare it from my stepmother. Let’s get cooking. Equipment for Making...
Fanke, commonly known in English as Puff Puff, is a snack consumed by all, regardless of tribe, ethnicity, or financial status. Most people love it. Its major ingredient is wheat flour or semovita. The procedure for making Fanke with any major ingredients is the same....
Kunun Tamba is usually called Finger Millet Porridge in English. It is made using finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) which is an important millet grown extensively in various regions of India and Africa and constitutes a staple food for a large segment of the...
Sponge cake (or yellow cake) is a soft, spongy, and delicious cake with a brownish outer surface and a whitish inner surface. This is made with lots of eggs, sugar, and flour, and I’ll be walking you through the sponge cake recipe. Equipment for Making Sponge Cake...
Do you ever get bored of the same old bakery bread? Do you ever want to try something new with bread? If this thought has run through your mind, then how to make banana bread recipe is for you! Too often, I find bread to be bland and I tend to crave something new and...
Tuwon Alabo, or cassava swallow, as people like to call it, is a local dish made from cassava flour (Alabo), which is produced by fermenting peeled cassava in water, sun-drying the fermented cassava, and milling it into powdered form. This flour comes from a root...
Seeing that favorite chocolate cupcake recipe and you can't get your mind off it because you are without an oven? I say sit back, relax, and enjoy as I'm about to tell you how to make cupcakes at home without an oven. Cupcakes, just like chocolate chip cookies are...
Some combinations of foods are just amazing and will make you wonder, ‘Who first thought of preparing this food?’ Dawa da Wake is a northern Nigerian recipe mostly consumed by the Hausas. It is a combination of guinea corn (dawa) and beans (wake) to produce a...
Eid is approaching! Eid means “festive” in Arabic. There are two parts to Eid: Eid ul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, our fasting month. We also call it “Small Sallah”, and Eid ul Kabeer, which marks the historical event of the sacrifice of our...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
The use of herbs and spices dates back to our ancestors. It's always amazing how they were able to feed brilliantly back in times when civilization wasn't fully in existence....
Hello! Our recipe for today is "Kunun Aya Drink," also known as Tiger Nut Drink. This drink is derived from tiger nuts, hence the name. The tiger nut comes in two forms: dry and...
Humans eat. We one way or another depend on foods to increase our metabolism, get the required nutritional requirements, and get the energy we need for our day-to-day activities....
Through time, I discovered that cooking is an art and an adventure. It requires skills, yes! But even more: passion, trust, and a message—what you want to communicate. As a...
Whenever food is mentioned, I know all the food lovers are interested. Are you a lazy food lover or a hardworking food lover? Being lazy is not a crime; you are just conserving...
Yam has been a Nigerian food far back in the history of food and Nigeria itself. It has been a source of delicious meals, generation after generation. In addition, it is a tool...
0 Comments