THE NATIVE FOOD OF THE ANEBIRA IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

 THE NATIVE FOOD OF THE ANEBIRA IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Tolowoetan Ayomide Omolara 

In west Africa, there are a lot of different native delicacies and this week, we will look at some of these delicacies and their ingredients. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride!!!

In West Africa, Nigeria, we have 250 ethnic groups and Ebira is one of them. The "Ebira" ethnic group is found in Kogi State. Ebira means "behavior'. Ebira people are accommodating, peaceful, loving and hardworking.

Ebira Foods

Ebira Foods are foods eaten by the Ebira People of Nigeria (Anebira) popularly eaten in Kogi State in Okene to be precise. Some of the typical foods Ebira People own includes the Apapa (The Major Ebira food) lya, Uka and Eba/Garri.

In today's blog, we'll be analysing the major Ebira food, which is the "Apapa" and we'll also look into some other foods like:

  • Iyan
  • Epeza
  • Asaro

Apapa

Apapa looks like moi-moi but the color is different and very rich in protein than moi-moi. Also, the coat of the beans is not removed when picking.







Image from Google 

Features/ingredients of Apapa:

  • Beans - 3 cups or more depending on the quantity you wish to consume.
  • Palm oil - 1 to 3 cooking spoons
  • Seasoning cubes (depending on the size)
  • Grounded crayfish - 1 tea spoon
  • Pepper 4 - 6(depending on the size)
  • Salt to taste

Steps in preparing Apapa

  1. Get the Uma leaf/moi-moi wrap.
  2. Pick the beans and wash, then soak in water for at least 10 - 15 minutes to make it soft.
  3. Blend the beans together with onion and pepper.
  4. Pour the blended beans into a bowl and add salt with seasonings then mix together.
  5. Add your palm oil( preferable, you can heat the palm oil a little before adding it to the blended beans)
  6. Add your Cray fish, mix and add water bit by bit till your standard consistency.
  7. Scoop the mixture into the uma leaf or moi-moi wrap. Some people use leather but I won't advise you use that, because it might get bursted if overheated. Uma leaf gives a good flavor to the food. But make sure you wash the leaf thoroughly before use. Carefully place the wraps in the boiling water, on top of the base, make sure the water in the pot is not much when cooking but add water bit by bit until it is ready to consume.

Other Ebira Foods and Their Ingredients.

1. Iyan (Pounded Yam)

2. Asaro (Porridge)

3. Epeza (Beans Soup)

Iyan

lyan is also known as "Pounded Yam" in English Language" is a native food of Anebira Gotten from Yam, and its most favorable dinner meal eaten in Nigeria. Even though, pounded yam (lyan) is considered as Ebira Food, some tribes in Nigeria like Yoruba People in Ekiti cherish this food more than any other tribe in the country. Since farming is the major occupation of Ebira People, lyan is one of the best food we have existing.








Image from Google 

Iyan Ingredients (Pounded Yam)

  • Yam
  • Water

Asaro

Asaro is an easy one pot dish of yam porridge/pottage which is popular in western Nigeria. Different from the other type of yam porridge, Asharo is cooked with tomatoes and peppers, then mashed to a complete puree or with a few lumps of yam left unmeshed for texture. It is most times cooked without any leafy vegetables or herbs. The addition of leafy vegetables and herbs is totally optional e.g. ugwu, green amaranth, curry leaves etc.








Image from Google 

Epeza

Epeza popularly known as Beans Soup is the type of Ebira Food (Soup). As the name implies, beans are a primary ingredient in making this delicious recipe. 


Image from Google 

Ingredients for Epeza - Ebira Food

  • Beans
  • Palm oil>
  • Fresh pepper and onions
  • A small piece of potash
  • Spices and seasoning cubes (maggi, salt, thyme, garlic, and grinded ginger)
  • Fish and/or meat (quantity and size to taste)
  • Two cups of water (depending on size and quantity)

Conclusion 

Ebira people have a lot of other delicacies apart from the one written in this blog. In this blog, I talked about just four delicacies. For more delicious delicacies from Anebira, go to Ebira Online. Try out one recipe today and see the goodness of an Ebira meal, you can try out all the recipes if you want, trust me, you won't regret it.

Stay tuned for more blog posts on different African delicacies!!!


Keywords

1.West Africans food

2. Kogi State

3. Ebira

4. Ebira Foods

5. Anebira 

6. Apapa

7. Iyan

8. Epeza

9. Asaro

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