Popular Food Ideas for The Festive Season In Nigeria

Popular Food Ideas for The Festive Season In Nigeria
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One of the best times of the year for many people is finally upon us. The holiday season, like Christmas, allows many to travel and taste special foods of different cultures you rarely eat during regular days of the year. 

Talking about unique foods, what is special during this festive season needs to be known. This season is a time of the year where people share good tidings among people around, which is mostly food. 

Different delicacies of foods are always in surplus as neighbors and relatives share them throughout the festive season.

Although the nation is currently battling with a ridiculous hike in prices of foodstuffs, you can still shop for some affordable foods on Shoprite online shopping.

Here’s a list of popular Nigerian foods that you can prepare to enjoy a memorable celebration from the comfort of your home with family and friends

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Nigerian Food Ideas for Every Family This Festive Season: 

This particular roaster of Nigerian food consists of dessert, soup, snacks, and other foods you can try out and still have a wonderful celebration with your families and loved ones. 

Ugba/ Upaka (Nigerian Salad): 

Ugba is one of the local Nigerian delicacies. It is a traditional Igbo meal native to the Eastern parts especially. This food can be served as kola nuts to guests visiting the family in this festive period. 

Nigerian salads have a rich nutritional value. You have to make use of onion in its preparation. Other ingredients you need to prepare this salad are: 

  • Ugba (shredded oil bean)
  • Palm oil 
  • Pepper  
  • Potash 
  • Stock cube 
  • Crayfish 
  • Ogiri Igbo
  • Garden egg leaves 
  • Dry fish
  • Diced stockfish.  

You can shop all of these ingredients online at any supermarket of your choice on Kimbino.ng.

Moi- Moi (Seven lives): 

It is well known that this could serve as a three-course meal; with fried/jollof rice and salad or as a stand-alone with its nutritional value and little cost. 

Moi- Moi is made with ingredients such as: 

  • Beans 
  • Egg 
  • Fish
  • Beef
  • Corn beef 
  • Crayfish 
  • Pepper
  • And so on. 

Moi-Moi can be prepared in large quantities for family and friends. This particular food with seven lives can give you the healthy portion of protein your body needs while preparing different delicacies for the family. 

Efo-riro

Efo-riro is a traditional Nigerian vegetable soup in the Yoruba-speaking part of the country. This food means it is incomplete without locust beans and palm oil. 

The best vegetables suitable for this recipe are; efo tete or efo shoko. The ingredients needed to make this delicacy are: 

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  • Salt 
  • Locust beans (iru) 
  • Seasoning cubes
  • Onions 
  • Crayfish 
  • Pepper mixtures 
  • Efo shoko 
  • Palm oil 
  • Dry fish 
  • Cowskin 
  • Cow tripe 
  • Beef. 

Yoruba don’t take this food lightly, and it is one of the top bodybuilding foods in Nigeria. It is served while hot or cool when you have visitors in your home this season. It would make your visitors happy to get this served to them. 

Tuwo-Shinkafa

This food is a Nigerian swallow popular among the Northerners. It is a thick pudding prepared from local rice that is soft and sticky. It comes with many health benefits and is a good alternative for fufu and Eba. 

It is often served as an accompaniment to soups and stews. Ingredients required to make this are; rice (short grain) and water. Tuwo-shinkafa, when served to the Hausa folks and their family members, makes them come together, communicate, and share beautiful memories after having this special meal with their loved ones during their festive season. 

Kilishi

It is a snack native to Northern Nigeria. You can prepare this in your home and enjoy it with your family during this festive period. We can’t deny that all tribes eat kilishi and it’s something you can prepare in your home and enjoy with special people. 

Ingredients needed are: 

  • Beef 
  • Suya spice 
  • Garlic cloves 
  • Ginger
  • Stock cubes
  • Dry cayenne pepper, and 
  • Salt. 

These days, kilishi is being produced, packaged, and sold in different stores offline and online. And can be used as a meat or snack when people are hungry. 

It is best served with wine, soft drinks, and so on. You will have a memorable festive season with your family, friends, and loved ones. It fosters communication among family members, especially when they are together and everyone listens and has fun. 

Rice and chicken as the official Christmas delicacy: 

Rice and chicken are prepared in many homes and can be served with Moi-Moi or salad. Rice can come in varieties such as (Nigerian jollof, fried rice, coconut rice, basmati rice, e.t.c). 

Rice and chicken are the most common food prepared in homes during the festive season in this world. In the Southern part of Nigeria, where there is an influx of Christians, live chicken is the day’s order and is sold in large quantities in the markets during the year’s festive season. 

You notice that even if a family kills ram to celebrate their festive season, they still include chicken in their livestock line. As ram is to Salah celebration, so is chicken to Christmas. 

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This shows how significant we have taken rice and chicken as part of our festive season food ritual, and it’s perfect because the average African man consumes rice consistently. 

You can also use local rice to make Ofada rice and sauce for those in the Western parts of Nigeria. All this makes up the total varieties of how rice can be vital in any festive season. 

Afang soup: 

Afang soup from the Igbo cuisine is a vegetable soup that originates from the Efik kingdom in Cross River state, including the Ibibio people of Akwa Ibom in Southern Nigeria. It is a dish popularly known by Nigerians and some parts of Africa. 

It is served at home also and sometimes at festivals, burials, and weddings ceremonies. Afang soup is very nutritious, and the ingredients used to prepare it are:

  • Beef 
  • Fish
  • Palm oil 
  • Crayfish 
  • Pepper
  • Shakki
  • Waterleaf
  • Okazi leaf 
  • Periwinkle 
  • Salt and other seasonings to taste.

Grilled chicken: 

It’s about that time of the year when you can’t keep on making your chicken the same way as you make them on every other regular day for family and friends.  It would be nice to try something new and spicy to serve the family and put a smile on their face once again. 

No festive season is ever complete without any piece of meat involved in it; that’s why we will grill our chickens this season. It’s impossible to find anyone that hates chicken. We might only have a few differences in how we like it to be prepared at home. 

In the period of the festive season, where there are different varieties of foods everywhere, don’t forget to surprise your friends and family with delicious delicacies to show them how much they are special to you. 

Always remember to put a smile on someone’s face, no matter how little. For those who like to spend time cooking in the kitchen, don’t forget to learn how to cook any new delicacies you can lay your hands on this festive season.

What to cook on New Year in Nigeria?

  1. Jollof Rice: Jollof rice is a staple at Nigerian celebrations. It’s a one-pot dish made with rice, tomatoes, peppers, and a blend of spices. It’s flavorful and colorful, making it a festive choice.
  2. Fried Rice: Fried rice is another classic option. It includes rice stir-fried with vegetables, meat, and a combination of seasonings. It’s known for its rich flavors and vibrant appearance.
  3. Grilled Chicken or Fish: Grilled chicken or fish, often seasoned with a spicy marinade, is a popular choice for the main dish. It’s flavorful and pairs well with rice dishes.
  4. Pepper Soup: Pepper soup is a spicy and aromatic broth made with various meats or fish. It’s known for its warming properties and is often served as an appetizer.

I hope you found this article helpful. Have a safe holiday!

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