People generally feel the Nigerian “blogosphere” should mirror reality. After all people blogging about their experiences should simply create a Naija freed from geographical confines. Well, yes and no. For most it seems this virtual space offers freedom from social constructs, tedium and routine. In this virtual space you had better nourish yourself with insights, relationships and possibilities; as I found in course of researching for my review, unlike in the real Naija, there is precious little food. If you have mental snapshots of women endlessly and lovingly assembling huge repasts for the hungry, in this space where I believe women to be the majority, forget it.
I breezily chose a food theme because I felt it would be easy and I am currently obsessed with food due to temporary but severe restrictions placed on my range of edibles for medical reasons. So, what better way to torture myself than to trawl for food in blogs I can’t eat?
Back to business
Food enjoys many mentions in Nigerian blogs but I have discovered that very few people take time to write regularly about how and where to get or prepare it so I’m venturing beyond blogs. Nigerians far from home (especially students) are extremely fond of food reminiscing and whip out their cameras occasionally to capture and post their culinary attempts. At Verastically Livin’ a picture of “alive and not burnt” egusi soup pops up in the midst of her hilarious posts on everyday happenings. Ms O’s, Our Journey Long Distance, serves up rice, plantains and gizzards recently between her accounts of school, love and life in general while Backtonaija gives us a review of her dining experiences in Lagos after precisely 4.5 years of living in the US.
If you want to cook and are seeking recipes the mother lode has to be Online Nigeria. Recipes for Isiewu, efere otong, Ikokore, and other “insider” foods are available for all. Unexpected recipe finds include supercomputing genius Emeagwalis site. This site is a really vast resource on Nigerian culture. It was here I learned Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix performed in a fund raiser for Biafra. Boomie O’s Motherland is another general site on Nigeria I love. Though visually outdated it is still very useful with a small recipe section.
For those aiming to lose weight, blogs like Chilli Peppa’s Disappearing Act provide insights to personal journeys and African Weight Loss Diva’s, information and a Q&A space. Hopefully low calorie ewedu and gbegiri will not taste as grim as they sound.
Now it’s time for the heavyweights of the Naija Food Blogosphere.
The only consistent blogging on food I found is done by Alhaji’s Groove aka “El Toro Negro”, Naija Blogging Chef and Yemisi Ogbe on Next. If writing at Farafina also qualifies as blogging then Yemisi’s Tea with Mrs Bojubari should be included in this non list.
Alhaji Babasheri is dead serious about food and obviously a professional. After viewing the luscious textures of the meals on his space, Iwaxed eloquently about him on my blog and immediately proposed to him as a sign of deep appreciation. I dare you to gaze upon thisEfo-riro and eba and remain unmoved.
Yemisi Obge has the most refreshing; I’m talking about food but not only talking about food, style that is humorous, unpretentious and sneakily competent. Though yet to forgive her cruel attack on baked beans I am nonetheless enthused that the attack was brilliantly written. Her essays on snails, garri and the dubious properties attributed to fish are conversational in tone and very entertaining.
So I ventured into this task hoping to present great foodie finds and return humbled and much intrigued by the paucity of food bloggers in the Naija blogosphere. Unsated by virtual food I clearly haven’t the energy to analyze why. Have a nice week and happy eating. I won’t hate.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b89dc076-7665-4d4b-80ee-676f3a1b0c11)
Please add any naija food blogging site url you know of to this comment section… No chop alone oh!
Please add any naija food blogging site url you know of to this comment section… No chop alone oh!
always a fan of your writing style and your penchant for assembling random information
great blog
always a fan of your writing style and your penchant for assembling random information
great blog
Dear Bill,
Thanks a lot for your comments. We really appreciate it.
Loomnie.
Dear Bill,
Thanks a lot for your comments. We really appreciate it.
Loomnie.
I have become more intrigued about Nigerian/African cuisine in recent times – refreshing to read this piece. The “paucity of food bloggers” on the Nigerian blog scene is probably more a reflection of the paucity of the Nigerian cuisine.
For the most part there appears to have been little or no evolution but rather steeped in its basic, rustic, rural subsistence style trapped in time. I long for the refined adventurous sophistication I get to enjoy with other cuisines from around the world where brazen chefs intimately appreciate and understand food; continually challenge and experiment with food to produce the variety associated with the French, Italian, Japanese, India, Chinese cuisines of the world.
I long for the celebrity Nigerian chefs to help challenge my knowledge of the cuisine and take it to new heights. It is said that most of what passes for indigenous staples were apparently introduced over time – well I say it’s time to challenge the cuisine! Enough of the predominant starchy staples already! Yes storage and preservation were reasons for most of present day dishes; surely we can now start to evolve beyond these!!! If you do know such chefs please post – it would be a refreshing change! Location is no object.
I have become more intrigued about Nigerian/African cuisine in recent times – refreshing to read this piece. The “paucity of food bloggers” on the Nigerian blog scene is probably more a reflection of the paucity of the Nigerian cuisine.
For the most part there appears to have been little or no evolution but rather steeped in its basic, rustic, rural subsistence style trapped in time. I long for the refined adventurous sophistication I get to enjoy with other cuisines from around the world where brazen chefs intimately appreciate and understand food; continually challenge and experiment with food to produce the variety associated with the French, Italian, Japanese, India, Chinese cuisines of the world.
I long for the celebrity Nigerian chefs to help challenge my knowledge of the cuisine and take it to new heights. It is said that most of what passes for indigenous staples were apparently introduced over time – well I say it’s time to challenge the cuisine! Enough of the predominant starchy staples already! Yes storage and preservation were reasons for most of present day dishes; surely we can now start to evolve beyond these!!! If you do know such chefs please post – it would be a refreshing change! Location is no object.
That Alhaji Cuisine is something else! We are blessed with food. I found it hard to eat in South Africa and India, they dont have tasty food and different dishes like we do in Nigeria. God bless Nigeria!
That Alhaji Cuisine is something else! We are blessed with food. I found it hard to eat in South Africa and India, they dont have tasty food and different dishes like we do in Nigeria. God bless Nigeria!
@olu… we are actually losing the knowledge of preparing some dishes. My aunt (an Efik proffessional cook) laments the loss and also the standardization of menus all over Nigeria. Even I can remember things that arent made anymore. Anything thats too difficult to make is going going gone
@olu… we are actually losing the knowledge of preparing some dishes. My aunt (an Efik proffessional cook) laments the loss and also the standardization of menus all over Nigeria. Even I can remember things that arent made anymore. Anything thats too difficult to make is going going gone