Palm nut soup
A close-up view of palm nut soup

Palm nut soup or banga is a soup made from palm fruit[1][2] common in the Cameroonian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivorian communities. The soup is made from a palm cream or palm nut base with stewed marinated meats, smoked dried fish, and aromatics. It is often eaten with starch, eba, fufu, omotuo, banku, fonio, or rice. The use of the palm fruit in cooking is significant in Ivorian, Cameroonian, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian and other West and Central African cuisines.

By region

Cameroon

Mbanga soup is a palm fruit soup in Cameroonian cuisine[3][4] and West African cuisine.[5] It is often served with kwacoco. The soup is Cameroon's version of the West African banga, a palm fruit soup eaten in areas including parts of Nigeria. In Cameroon mbanga is made using fresh palm nuts. Outside the area canned nuts can be used.[6]

Nigeria

Eba (garri from cassava) served with fresh fish banga (palm kernel) soup in a clay pot
Palm oil rice (banga rice) served with assorted cuts of beef and boiled egg

Banga is a type of palm fruit soup from Southern (the Niger Delta) Nigeria, particularly the itsekiri, isoko, ijaw and urhobo ethnic groups.[7] This cuisine is quite different from ofe akwu, a variant found in Igbo culture. The Binis have a soup from palm fruits similar to ofe akwu in ingredients and manner of preparation.[8][9] The itsekiri people call it obieyen, Urhobo people’s calls it ame edi, the isoko calls it Izuwo ibiedi.[10][11]

In Nigeria, this soup accompanies dishes such as starch (usi) and (Eba) for the itsekiri people of Delta State, Nigeria, starch and garri was introduced by the itsekiri's who got cassava from the Europeans who taught them how to process it.[12][13]The Igbo people have the stew and soup varieties made from palm fruits. Ofe akwu is the stew variety usually eaten with rice while the palm fruit extract is used especially in Anambra state to prepare oha and onugbu soup accompanied with moulding foods (popularly known as 'swallow'), such as pounded cassava (utara/akpu) and corn/cassava flour (nni oka).

The palm fruit is often harvested from locally grown palm fruit trees, after which it is thoroughly washed, boiled and mashed for the extraction of its oil, the main ingredient in the preparation of banga soup.

Banga soup is flavored with beletete, aidan fruit, rohojie, spice leaves called obenetietien (scent or bitter leaves can be substituted), a stick of oburunbebe, finely chopped onion, ground crayfish, chili pepper or Scotch bonnet, and salt. The soup is eaten with starch made with cassava and palm oil or rice in southern parts of Nigeria. Banga soup is mostly prepared using fresh catfish, dried or smoked fish, or meat. Okra may be added.[14] It is made by extracting the liquid of palm kernels.[15][16][17] Thereafter, other ingredients like crayfish, meat, fish, pepper and cow tripe are added. It is eaten with eba (garri) or usi (starch). (Elaeis guineensis) extract.[18]

  • Palm nut soup with fish
    Palm nut soup with fish
  • Palm nut soup
    Palm nut soup
  • Akan Ghanaian palm nut soup
    Akan Ghanaian palm nut soup
  • Palm nut soup close up
    Palm nut soup close up
  • Palm nut soup
    Palm nut soup
  • Fufu with palm nut soup, snail and tilapia
    Fufu with palm nut soup, snail and tilapia

See also

References

  1. ^Saffery, D. (2007). The Ghana Cookery Book. Jeppestown Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-9553936-6-2.
  2. ^Yussif, E. (2013). The Facet of Black Culture. Trafford Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-4669-8847-7.
  3. ^Osseo-Asare, Fran (November 24, 2005). Food Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313324888 – via Google Books.
  4. ^Crush, Jonathan; Battersby, Jane (September 23, 2016). Rapid Urbanisation, Urban Food Deserts and Food Security in Africa. Springer. ISBN 9783319435671 – via Google Books.
  5. ^"Mbanga/Palmnut Soup". February 13, 2013.
  6. ^"Mbanga (Palm Nut) Soup". Jul 21, 2018. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved Jul 11, 2021.
  7. ^"Banga Soup | Original Recipe from Delta State Nigeria".
  8. ^"Banga Soup (Ofe Akwu)". All Nigerian Recipes. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  9. ^"Ofe Akwu - Igbo Style Banga Soup". Sisi Jemimah. 2015-09-22. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  10. ^"Six Savoury and Sumptuous Soups". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  11. ^https://afrifoodnetwork.com/recipes/soup-stew-recipes/banga-soup-recipe/
  12. ^https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_africa-being-an-accurat_dapper-olfert_1670
  13. ^https://archive.org/details/descriptionofcoa00barb
  14. ^Saffery, David (2007). The Ghana Cookery Book. Jeppestown Press. pp. 50, 51. ISBN 9780955393662.
  15. ^"How to prepare Banga Soup or Obe Eyin". igboists.forumotion.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  16. ^"Six Savoury and Sumptuous Soups". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  17. ^9jafoodie (2014-12-15). "Iresi Eyin- Yoruba Style Local Jollof". 9jafoodie | Nigerian Food Recipes. Retrieved 2024-05-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^"Banga Soup Recipe and Starch - the Niger Delta Way!!!".
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