NIGERIAN FOODS

Welcome to this wonderful new year! i will talk about my kind of food this first quarter of the year. If you happen to be a fan for Nigerian food, hang in there for my beautiful and mouth watering dishes.

Nigerian recipes exhibit influences of many tribes and groups as Nigeria culture comprises of a great many number of ethnic groups. As a matter of fact the recipes in Nigeria are quite adaptable and variable. However most of the recipes of Nigeria are quite spicy, as Nigerians have a great preference for chilies.

Rice, maize and lentil are the staple diets of Nigerians. They also enjoy vegetables, fruits and meat. In fact fruits and vegetables are grown in Nigeria in great quantity. Types of meat mainly include chicken, beef, fish and lamb. Nigerians enjoy varieties of soups and stews, which can be both vegetarian and non-vegetarian in nature. In Nigerian recipes, special rice items include jollof rice, coconut rice and fried rice among many other.

Porridge is another favorite among the Nigerians. Nigerians make porridge in a salty and spicy manner with vegetables and meat, which is quite uncommon in other parts of the world. Porridge with vegetables and meat is an exclusive Nigerian recipe. Other popular Nigerian recipes are peanut balls, chinchin and Nigerian stew. Isu, which is basically spiced boiled yams, dodo, which is fried plantains, efo, which is green stew and Iyan, which is pounded yams, are other popular delicacies of Nigeria. Most of the Nigerian recipes are cooked in palm oil.

HOW CAN I BE UNDERWEIGHT

The high prevalence of obesity and overweight problems in our culture means much more emphasis is placed on losing weight rather than gaining weight. It is easy to forget about people who have the problem of being too thin.

Being underweight can result from eating disorders, chronic diseases, and it is also a concern for athletes and naturally thin people who wish to be bigger, stronger, and more muscular. Elderly people may become underweight. The gradual loss of taste and smell, or the inability to prepare healthy meals, results in becoming too thin.

While being overweight or obese is a well-known risk factor for chronic diseases, being too thin may also increase a person's risk of dying from diseases such as heart failure and cancer. Elderly women who are underweight may become frail, which means they are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis and hip fractures. Being underweight may also increase a man's chance of erectile dysfunction.

FOOD THAT FIGHTS STRESS....

Dark Chocolate

High in flavonoids, which are lauded for their relaxing properties (chamomile tea is another great source), chocolate also contains phenethylamine, a chemical that enhances your mood. The darker the chocolate, the more healthy substances you're getting in your diet, so look for bars that are 70 percent cacao or higher.

Skim Milk

Turns out that a glass of warm milk really is calming. One study found that women who drank four or more servings of lowfat or skim milk every day were about half as likely to experience stress-related PMS symptoms than those who drank less than one serving a week.

Oatmeal

Carbs help you produce serotonin, a calming hormone that helps fight anxiety's negative effects-which is probably why many of us crave them when we're stressed. Go with the craving and choose healthy sources. Oatmeal is high in fiber, which means that your body will absorb it slowly. In one fell swoop, you'll prolong the serotonin boost, keeping yourself feeling full for longer (and on less) and making sure your blood sugar's in check.

Salmon

Research shows that omega-3 fatty acids-abundant in fish like salmon-can help reverse stress symptoms by boosting serotonin levels, and that an omega-3-rich diet can also help suppress the production of the anxiety hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

Walnuts

They've been shown to help lower blood pressure, which is critical for those whose hearts are already working overtime thanks to high adrenaline levels. In fact, research so strongly backs their health benefits that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration goes so far as to recommend 1 1/2 oz per day.

Sunflower Seeds

A good source of folate, which helps your body produce a pleasure-inducing brain chemical called dopamine.

Spinach

Studies show that magnesium, which you'll find in leafy greens like spinach, improves your body's response to stress.

Blueberries

Their antioxidants counteract the effects of stress hormones like cortisol on your body.

Eat It to Beat It

We all know that tension can wreak havoc on our eating patterns. But the right (healthy!) foods can often help tame mindless munching and cravings and, better yet, actually lower overall anxiety and its symptoms. Eight of our favorites:

HOW TO PREPARE AN AFRICAN SOUP- EDIKAIKONG SOUP

Edikaikong Soup There are different kinds of African soup. Soups are mostly used as sauce for eating fufu, the most popular staple food in West Africa. Our soup recipe in this installment is for Edikaikong, a soup original to the Calabar people of South East Nigeria.

Edikaikong Soup

Ingredients:

Edikaikong Soup (Serves Four) (1) Ugu Leaves (subsitute Spinach) -- 2 Heads (2 standard Packages of Spinach) (2) Waterleaf -- 2 Heads (3) Crayfish -- 1 Cup (4) Dried Fish -- 1 Medium (5) Giant Snails (escargo) -- 4 (6) Beef or Goat Meat -- 1.5lbs (7) Kpomo* -- 1 lb (8) Palm Oil -- 1.5 cups (9) Onions -- 1 Whole Large (10) Pepper -- 6 to 10 fresh hot or to taste (11) Seasoning -- 1 or 2 cubes of beef stock (12) Salt -- about 2 teaspoons (use discretion)

Preparation: If necessary wash the ugu leaves. Pluck the leaves from the stem. Discard the stems. Collate and chop the leaves into thin (1/4 inch) slices. Set aside. Do same with waterleaves. Blend crayfish into coase powder using electric grinder. If african giant snails are available prepare them by cleaning the meat by rubbing with lemon or soaking and massaging in vineger until all slime is gone and meat is gritty to the touch. Canned escargo is a poor substitute for african giant snails. another substitute for snail may be scallops or any other sea mullusk. However, if any of these are not available, this part of the recipe may be omitted altogether. Break up the dried fish in a bowl pour in boiling water, add about 2 spoon heaps of salt. Wash the fish in the hot salt water to remove sand and other dirt. Remove fish from salt water and set aside. Grind peppers to a paste. Set aside. *Traditionally, kpomo or hide of beef, is also added when preparing Edikaikong soup. The Cooking: In a medium sized covered pot, bring all meats (beef, kpomo) but not snails to steam without adding water. Add beef stock seasoning, 1/4 cup of water and salt, and cook till meat is tender (5 to 15 minutes). Add waterleaves to meat and beef stock. Stir. Add the crayfish, stir and let boil until most liquid in the pot evapourates. Add the snails at this stage so that it will cook just right. Over-cooked snails are leathery, cooked just right, the snails are crunchy and easy to chew. Add pepper and salt. Stir. Add the ugu or spinach, stir and allow to boil over (about one minute). Add the palm oil, stir and let boil for five more minutes. Turn off heat and serve. Should be able to feed four adults. African soups are mostly used to eat fufu.

TERRIFYING DELICACY

What the hell is it?


What better to wash down your gelatinous lumps of lye fish than a nice chilled cup of dead mice? What better indeed.
Baby mice wine is a traditional Chinese and Korean "health tonic," which apparently tastes like raw gasoline. Little mice, eyes still closed, are plucked from the embrace of their loving mothers and stuffed (while still alive) into a bottle of rice wine. They are left to ferment while their parents wring their tiny mouse paws in despair, tears drooping sadly from the tips of their whiskers.

Do you wince at the thought of swallowing a tequila worm? Imagine how you'd feel during a session on this delicacy.

ANNIVERSARY CHOCOLATE CAKE

4 sq. (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate


1/2 c. butter

2 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. flour

2 tsp. vanilla

1 c. chopped nuts

1 1/2 c. milk

Melt chocolate over hot water. Cream butter and sugar together. Add beaten eggs and chocolate. Add flour alternately with vanilla and milk mixture. Add nuts. Bake in two 9 inch square pans in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or in three 9 inch round pans for 25 minutes. Frost with recipe below.

FROSTING:

1/4 c. butter

2 sq. (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate

1 egg, beaten

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 c. chopped nuts

Melt butter and chocolate together. Add egg, salt, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and nuts.

Enjoy!

FOOD AND OBESITY

"Does fast food cause obesity?" The simple answer is no. Consuming more calories from food than the body can burn is what causes weight gain. While environmental factors, such as regularly eating fast food, may increase the risk of obesity, they are not a cause of obesity.

This means that you could eat fast food on a regular basis and not become obese. In fact, you can even lose weight while eating fast food. This, however, requires knowledge of not only how many calories you are burning on a daily basis, but also the calories in the food that you are eating.

DOES YOUR FOOD MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

If you associate dieting with hunger or are just concerned that cutting back on your eating would leave you feeling unsatisfied, you shouldn't worry because calories don't count in satisfying your hunger. The amount of food you eat will determine whether you are hungry or satisfied regardless of the caloric content of the food that you're eating. In other words, you can be more satisfied and lose weight by eating larger portions of less dense (fewer calories for the same size portion) foods instead of a smaller portion of more dense food. If you've found that dieting always leaves you feeling hungry, eating less dense foods can help you lose weight without this discomfort.
According to Dr. Barbara Rolls, Professor of Nutrition

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WITH A DIFFERENCE

Christmas cooking is one of those great traditions that brings the family and close friends together. By cooking up a great feast, you're giving your loved ones a wonderful present that will be remembered for years to come.
If you cook together with your family, it can also create special bonds -eg. mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, grandmas and grandchildren - don't underestimate Christmas cooking!

Food is a major part of Christmas and nothing gets people in the Christmas spirit more then a holiday meal! Meal times are great for gathering friends and family together during the holiday season.

Years ago Christmas was celebrated with a meal of only porridge prepared out of oatmeal. Later onwards people started adding dried fruits and other things to make it more tasty for consumption. Year later, the tradition of baking cakes started in somewhere around in fourteenth century, only the houses of rich people had the ovens to bake the cakes. Baking cakes was the main Christmas dish that they would prepare for Christmas. Other dishes were also prepared for the celebration but they were limited to what the people had at the time.
Lucky for us today, times have changed and the Christmas meal is usually filled with lots of fabulous dishes.

You may get tired of cooking the same dishes each year, and your family may get tired of eating them! Here is a sweet potato dish that works a treat and is so easy to make.
You will need:
- 8 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup hot milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 lb. marshmallows
1. Cook sweet potatoes until tender. You can do this by peeling them first. Then cut them into little chunks. Place a little water in the bottom of the dish and cook in the microwave until they are soft.
2. Mash the sweet potatoes.
3. When smooth, beat in butter, milk, salt and honey and beat well.
4. Turn into buttered baking dish and cover with marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees until marshmallows puff and become golden brown.
5. Serve as part of a main meal and enjoy!

Food As A Natural Remedy

Our food can be a source of remedy too. Fruits and vegetables are our natural source of medication. They are safe, taste nicer than any drugs manufactured by man and give us better health in the long run.
It is also very difficult to find fruits that give unwanted side effect like most modern medicine. So, why have we abandoned our fruits and vegetables for something more expensive and harmful ?
Let's make our food our medicine and start learning what these normal everyday fruits can do for us.

NIGERIA AND FOOD

I have taken a good look at the foods we have in nigeria and i can truely say, we are blessed. join me and let us talk about our food culture.

Nigeria has a variety of delicious and nutritious food made from fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood and their preparation depends greatly on the types of the food. Food and drinks in Nigeria is more of geographical location, tribes or ethnic groups. This is so because Nigeria is a big country with more than 250 different tribes and this simply means that the country has more than 200 varieties of local food and drinks. Generally, there are some common food stuff such as rice, beans or peas, plantain etc; that are being eaten all over the country. However, a visit to Nigeria will enable you to experience traditional Nigerian food and no matter what your taste is Nigeria has something for you that will suit your appetite

Nigerian food is typical of that found throughout West Africa, with regional variations. In the north, meat is more popular than in other areas.
There are restaurants of all varieties all over the country offering food such as pounded yam, rice & beans, jollof and fried rice etc. Although there are self-service cafes, mainly in department stores, most restaurants have table service.
To enjoy Nigerian traditional food such as pounded yam, yam flour, meat stew, visit the local restaurants where these food are being served.