By Mia Hanuska
Welcome to the Traveling Cart! I’m Mia Hanuska, and I’ll be your guide on this world tour. Each issue, the cart travels to a new country and explores its history and culture through a customized 3-course meal of traditional dishes cooked by yours truly. This issue, the cart has ventured to the beautiful country of Nigeria.
A Condensed History of Nigeria
Nigeria has been occupied since 500 B.C.E., when the Nok culture lived on the land. Nok culture featured naturalism and personal adornment, especially for hair. Their terracotta figurines spread throughout the country, and traces of Nok culture can still be seen in the lives of the people today. Later, countless groups established their living in the north, notably the Kanuri, the Hausa, and the Fulani, all of whom participated in empire-building. The Kanuri people were deeply connected with the people on the eastern side of Lake Chad, and when the Kanuri empire grew, it became split into two by the Lake: Kanem (in modern-day Chad) and Borno (in modern-day Nigeria).
The largest northern group is the Hausa people, and throughout the centuries, the attempted welding of multiple political states led to conflicts between powers and the establishment of various empires (Hausa Empire, Sokoto Caliphate). To the slight south, ethnic groups rarely merged into integrated states, and the cultures, Jukuns (Kwararafa), the Igala, the Igbira-Panda, Nupe, the Oyo Yoruba, instead created strong independent empires.
Those who did not create large empires often grouped together in non-centralized monarchies, but organized self-contained villages, such as the Igbo. They maintained military dominance with a society of elders and age-based associations functioning as a government and established what functioned as a theocratic state over eastern Nigeria.
Then, in the 11th century, the Yoruba kingdoms began. Their cultural identities included not only those in their kingdom, but also sub-ethnic groups speaking the same dialect such as Oyo, Egba, Egbado, Ijebu, Ijesa, Ekiti, Ondo, Akoko, and Owo. The Oyo Kingdom emerged as the most powerful of these, dominating the land for nearly 300 years until its collapse due to civil wars. The end of the Oyo Kingdom triggered the beginning of fifty years of Yoruba wars.
In the 1800s, two of the four trans-Saharan trade routes connected to Nigeria, allowing Nigerians to trade with Arab merchants for gold, ivory, iron, and hides, often in exchange for slaves. After abolishing slavery in the early 1800s, the British originally aimed to prevent the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Nigeria by trading for palm oil, but were unaware of the country’s internal use of slavery to harvest and process palm oil, and actually ended up encouraging the harmful practice. Nevertheless, their increased legitimate trade with Nigeria encouraged other countries to trade with Nigeria, and the country began exporting more cocoa, groundnuts, and rubber. Then, after countless battles and resistances, the British colonized Nigeria, and the country gained its name, “Nigeria,” after the Niger River that runs through the land.
This Stop’s Menu
Main meal: Jollof Rice
Side dish: Dodo
Sweet Treat: Puff Puff
Main: Jollof Rice
Jollof Rice began in the 1300s in the Wolof (or Jolof) Empire; today’s Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania. Rice farming flourished in these areas, and the dish was known as thieboudienne, where it was prepared with fish, shellfish, and vegetables. With the growth of the Wolof Empire, the dish spread throughout West Africa and now plays a large role in food culture in all West African countries. Diasporas debate which country’s version of Jollof rice is the best, with an extreme “feud” between Nigerian and Ghanaian Jollof rice.
For this dish, I followed this recipe from Zena’s Kitchen. This was absolutely delicious. The texture of the rice is perfect, and the curry and thyme complement the tomato flavor perfectly. The only frustrating part was the cooking time, as there’s a lot of roasting and baking and waiting. However, I’d say the long cooking time was worth it for the amount of food this dish made. I halved the recipe and still ended up with almost 6 servings—the extras are perfect for freezing and reheating at a later date. I would definitely recommend making this dish, and I can see it pairing perfectly with beef or chicken for some added protein.
Side Dish: Dodo
Originally introduced to Nigeria around 1500 C.E. for trading uses, plantains have become a staple of Nigerian cuisine. Rich in carbohydrates, plantains help create a balanced meal with Jollof rice and chicken, and their lower amount of starch and subsequent ease of digestion makes them a favorite among the elderly.
To make this, I used this recipe from the Tasting Table. These were pretty good. The crispy outer layer balanced the creamy inside well, although I think mine could’ve gotten a bit crispier. I cut some thin and some thick, and decided I preferred the thinner ones as the thicker ones maintained more of the sweet banana-y flavor. They get an 8/10 on the ease of making scale, though, because with only one ingredient, it’s hard to get simpler than this. Frying does get tedious sometimes, but they ended up cooking really fast (I think my oil was actually too hot) so it wasn’t too bad. These make a good side dish; my only warning is that oil is very hot. Be very careful handling these after you take them out of the oil because they will be very hot, and trust me, you’re going to burn your fingers.
Sweet Treat: Puff Puff
Puff puffs’ history can be traced back to the colonization of Nigeria by European traders who brought flour and frying methods. Nigerians took the European goods and created their own version of fried dough that’s soft, stretchy, and slightly sweet. Today, puff puffs are sold in street stalls across the country and serve as a symbol of celebration, joy, and togetherness.
For these little balls, I followed Cooking with Claudy’s recipe here. Holay molay. Make this. Go into your kitchen right now and make these. Easily the best thing I have made in a very long while, Puff Puffs have the perfect exterior crunch and interior chew that would make a normal dessert cry. Subtly sweet and a hint of nutmeg graces my taste buds as I crunch into a perfectly portioned ball. Rarely does one find a gluten-free dessert textured so “normal” as these puffs. I do think I fried them at a temperature that was a little too hot, because they browned quickly and left a couple puffs with slightly doughy centers. Definitely watch the heat of your oil as you make these to ensure they don’t get too brown too fast—nevertheless, these were scrum-diddly-umptious.
Packing up the Cart
Thank you for joining The Traveling Cart as we dove into the history of Nigeria through making three delicious dishes! Each course offers a new flavor profile, demonstrating the diversity of Nigerian cuisine. If you’re interested in learning more about Nigeria, I’ve scribed a few sources on the back of this parchment you can check out. Ah, the horses are ready for our next adventure—see you at the next destination!
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria/History
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210607-jollof-wars-who-does-west-africas-iconic-rice-dish-best
https://www.oriire.com/article/plantain-the-staple-food-that-every-nigerian-loves
https://www.tastingtable.com/1084675/dodo-the-delectable-nigerian-plantains-you-need-to-make/