HiveGhana Initiative WK 14-| My Three Most Favourite Meals

The fact that food satisfies us and helps quench our hunger gives us the opportunity to develop tastes and preferences when it comes to selecting our favorite meals. I don't want to label myself as an addict, but I genuinely love food. When I see people who take a few bites and are content, I look at them with my hand on my chin because it's quite shocking to me. 😂

Alright, don't think that I came into this world as an eater. Growing up so fast makes me miss those years when we lived as one peaceful and happy family, and not a single Sunday passed without us cooking rice and Banga stew. Oh, how I love rice and Banga stew! Knowing how savory the stew used to be makes me heap spoonfuls of rice with so much stew.

Then, there is Plantain porridge, known as Saika. It's one of the dishes I learned to prepare while residing in Akwa Ibom. This dish is not just delicious; it's also creamy and packed with health benefits. The main reason it's my favorite is simply because of it how tasty it is.

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When it comes to swallows, the local term we use to refer to eating soup with cassava flakes or any locally processed product that goes well with soup, my favorite soup is Ofe Nsala, known as Afia efere in Akwa Ibom state, or White Soup in English. Anyone who knows this delicacy understands why it's almost everyone's favorite. For me, a major reason I love it is because of its rich taste and the abundance of meat that comes with the soup.

MAJOR REASONS THEY ARE MY FAVORITES:

1. Nutritional Value: Both rice and eba provide energy, while the Banga stew, soup, and plantain offer a variety of nutrients. The ability to provide nutritional value is a significant reason why they are my favorites.

2. Cultural Roots: Saika and Nsala soup have deep culturally root to Igbos and Akwa Ibomites. Being my favorites motivates me to learn how to prepare these two meals, I tell my friends no one can prepare this dishes more than I do. While there are many other local delicacies, I don't invest the same energy in cooking them.

While Ofe Nsala reminds me of where I come from, Saika reminds me how life has brought me to where I am. Even if I were to move from Akwa Ibom to another state in Nigeria, Saika would always go there with me as far as plantains are sold there, and Afang Soup is another delicacy that I don't joke with, these two remain my favourite Akwa Ibom delicacies. Nsala soup is one of the Igbo soups that takes me back to the joy of my root.

1. Memories: One of the main reasons I have grown to love these meals as if my life depends on them because of the memories. The memories and fun moments of my growing up with my siblings always drive me to prepare these meals. I can enjoy Saika for an entire week without losing the taste of its deliciousness.

The same goes for rice and stew and Nsala soup. Nsala soup is the only soup that takes me back to the joy of eating swallows. Sometimes, the laziness of molding eba, to dipping it into the soup, can sometimes discourages me from preparing soup. However, when I remember eating Nsala soup with garri, the strength comes up from nowhere.

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