What is Nigeria most popular food?

Ask Cooking QuestionsCategory: Nigerian cookingWhat is Nigeria most popular food?
Mercy a asked 4 years ago

What is Nigeria’s most popular food? I am having some visitors from Nigerian by the weekend and wondering what I could make for them since I am only fairly new to Nigerian cooking.

What do you think is a popular food in Nigeria that anyone would readily accept.

3 Answers
Flint answered 4 years ago

Food is an essential part of Nigerias culture. Nigeria sit on a large expanse of land with notable citizens who are predominantly farmers and grow different kinds of crops(food) such as ; rice, yam, beans , cocoyam, plantain, cowpea, etc.. Among these foods grown in the country, Nigerias most popular food is rice. 
Rice is a cereal food in the class of carbohydrate. It is easy to cook and staple. Rice can be cooked and served in various forms such as ; jollof rice, fried rice, coconut rice, palm oil rice ,etc…Rice is also a ceremonial meal , that is, it is always served in ceremonies such as weddings , birthday parties, Christmas parties, etc. Every house hold in the country enjoys rice as it is affordable, quick to prepare and easy to consume no matter where you find yourself…

Chef Chidi Staff answered 4 years ago

The most popular foods in Nigeria is definitely not eba and soup, this combination is probably the most consumed food in Nigeria but definitely not as popular as some other foods in Nigeria.
I have often wondered about this too. Lots of foods exist in Nigeria but some of them are localized while a couple of them are well known all over the world and would most likely be available in most Nigerian restaurant anywhere in the world.
I would be doing a review of some of the foods in Nigeria that I consider to be well known around the world. The number one on the list would most definitely be jollof rice which doubles as Nigeria’s most popular food as well as Nigeria’s national dish

[h3]Jollof Rice[/h3]

Jollof rice
Jollof rice is unarguably the most popular food in Nigeria, it is only number one because it is easy to make, anybody with a simple recipe could make a delicious pot of jollof rice in just minutes.
Also, you don’t need any local spice or ingredients, you need just tomatoes, rice and chicken. This ingredients are available in any part of the world, other spices like curry, nutmeg and seasoning are also readily available. When you don’t find them you will always find an alternative.
Here is the recipe for Jollof rice – Most Popular Nigerian food.
You can’t say that about some Nigerian soups, however, the second most popular Nigerian food would be a combination of egusi soup and eba. You will also most likely find this in major Nigeria restaurants around the world.

[h3]Egusi soup and swallow[/h3]

Delicious Egusi Soup
Egusi soup is unarguably the most popular soup in Nigeria, it is always combined with swallow to serve. There are different types of swallows in Nigeria, either eba, pounded yam or fufu is commonly served with egusi soup.
Egusi soup is also easy to make since egusi (melon) seeds are sold in major supermarkets around the world.
You just need to lay your hands on chicken or beef, palm oil, bitter leaf or spinach. They you can make a delicious pot of egusi soup, like what you find here
Learn How to make Egusi soup here

[h3]Fried Rice[/h3]

Fried Rice
Fried rice is quite popular in Nigeria, albeit a little more expensive to prepare but it is quite delicious and will always be served in major Nigerian restaurants and eateries.

Most wedding planners always include fried rice as the main food for every wedding reception. Nigerians love fried and will eat it every day if it doesn’t take so much time to prepare. It takes about 120 minutes to make a simple pot of fried rice 😀

Here is How to Cook Fried Rice

[h3]Porridge Yam[/h3]

Porridge Yam
Porridge yam is also quite popular, the recipes varies hugely across ethnic groups however. There are lots of different way to prepare yams in Nigeria and I have written an elaborate article about Yam recipes, a great resource I must add but there are yam recipes that are well hidden among different Nigerian ethnic groups 😀

[h3]Porridge beans[/h3]

Porridge Beans
Porridge beans is one of the most popular food in Nigeria, Usually, it is served with either cooked or fried plantain in our home. The Yorubas have a popular beans recipe that looks just like porridge beans. It is popularly called ewa agoyinEwa Agoyin and usually served with agege bread.

Chizobafrances answered 4 years ago

Rice is by far the most popular food amongst Nigerians. The Nigerian people apply different methods of cooking it and there is a vast array of the outcome when different techniques are used for rice preparation. 
       Rice is categorically divided into two :
1) Local Rice – Which is less palatable, undergoes less processing, and is more nourishing. 
2) Foreign / imported Rice – This rice undergoes more processing, is less nourishing, and more palatable than the local rice. 
 
I would advice you prepare foreign Rice for your visitors. You can choose to prepare any of the following:
A)  Jollof Rice – Jollof Rice is one of Nigeria’s best delicacies. It is cooked and served in parties, naming ceremonies ,burials, birthdays and wedding ceremonies. 
The ingredients you need for the preparation of jollof rice are (but not limited to) :
a)  Parboiled rice. 
b)  The sauce or gravy, which you prepare with the following :
– Vegetable oil. 
– Onion.
– Pepper. 
– Salt. 
– Seasoning cubes. 
– Fresh tomatoes.
– Processed tomato paste. 
– Meat (Goat meat, beef, pork, etc).
– Fish, etc. 
     You can watch YouTube videos on how to prepare it. 
 
B)  Fried Rice – Fried Rice is quite popular in most restaurants and in most homes across Nigeria. It is a very delicious delicacy when properly prepared, and can easily get spoilt if it is not properly maintained. 
You would need the following in order to prepare a tasty fried Rice. 
– Parboiled rice. 
– Onion. 
– Pepper. 
– Colouring. 
– Salt. 
– Seasoning cubes. 
– Carrot. 
– Green beans. 
– Green peas .
– Vegetable oil. 
 
C)  Coconut Rice – Coconut rice can be specially made using. The oil gotten from grated coconut. You would need:
– Parboiled rice. 
– Grated coconut oil. 
– Onion. 
– Tomatoes (optional). 
– Salt .
– Pepper .
– Seasoning cubes. 
– Carrots. 
 
D) White Rice – This is otherwise called boiled rice. It can be eaten with soups, stews, sauce, gravy, and even peppersoup.