Ube na Oka

Another Nigerian delicacy!

Most fruit and vegetables in Nigeria are seasonally available. Different street foods pop up along the side of the road and flood the market until their season is up. Then they are gone again until the following year. It was mango season when I got here in March and there were crates and crates of mangoes in the market every week. Branches of mango trees everywhere were drooping under the weight of their swelling fruit. Then some time in June, they just disappeared.

Now, it is Ube and Oka season (Ube na Oka is Igbo which may be difficult to pronounce, but is certainly easier than Dacryodes edulis and zea mays).
That means, African pear and corn season. African pear seems to have some relation to avocado. The extent of that relation may be that they are both referred to as 'pears'. Ube only resembles an avocado in that it is the same colour green on the inside and has a large seed. And when Ube starts to go bad, it tastes how an avocado tastes when it goes bad. Otherwise, the taste is different and the shape is different and the way you eat it is different. And of course the name, class, order, family, genus species. . .all different!

Ube on the left, Oka on the right

So what is to be done with Ube na Oka?

Eat it!!!
Roasted corn reminds me, very vaguely,
 of tortilla and Ube reminds me, very vaguely, of guacamole :) yum!

Of course, there's nothing wrong with French Toast and a good book from time to time either :)

Termites for Dinner

Termites swarming at a gas station

Another interesting Nigerian food report from Abuja. A few weeks ago, these things were flying around. Smashing into lights and windows and finally, crawling in to my room!

Termite in my room!

 They aren't very big, but they have giant wings which gives the illusion of an enormous flying menace!

Termites swarming a construction warning light

Let's make a termite pie!

In fact, they are termites. They swarm at the beginning of the rainy season and their wings fall off soon after. People gather around bright lights to collect them in water and then fry them up and eat them!








 Eventually I worked up the nerve to actually try this delicacy, which Ogadinma assured me was very tasty. One got into our room and was flying around the light bulb. I filled our bathroom scooping bucket with water and tossed him in. I went outside and caught another that was lured by our balcony light.

Just as I was starting to think about frying them and putting them in my mouth and how the texture would be and what exactly they would taste like and whether or not this would be inhibited by the negative association I have between insects and food and whether or not I would like them and whether or not they would make me gag, there was a power outage and I couldn't attract any more. I looked down at the two outlines of wings and bodies paddling ripples in my purple bucket and felt kinda bad for them. I waited for the power to come back. I used my LED light to shine out into the night sky but all I saw were billions and billions of particles of dust. Rushing by and slowing down with my breath and changing directions and sparkling like stars. 

That was the last I saw of the termites. They haven't been around since. I guess I'll have to wait til next year. . .

Secret Nigerian Food

Ok so I lied.
There are still things about Nigeria that are interesting and new and exciting.
Like this:

Licki licki?

It's a seed of some kind. The outside is a thin fuzzy shell that opens to reveal a red powder covered seed. The red powder is tangy and sweet. Kind of like nerds. Remember nerds?

Except it can't be nearly as bad for you since it grows on a freaking tree! Somewhere. . .
A magic tree full of magic.
What is this mysterious seed?
Where does it grow?
How did it come to be?
The only answer given is: Licki Licki

アーティチョークへ

久しぶりだね。
二年ぶりぐらいかな, , ,
でも、ずーとあんたのこと忘れてなかったよ。
ずーーーーとまた食べたかった。
で、今週、私のＪＡで西三河産の安く売ってて信じられなかったの。
実は、その時思ったのはね、　「日本産のアーティチョークなんって不味いでしょう」と実は、そう思っちゃったの。　本当に失礼だったけど。　ごめんね。
でもね、結局、買ったよ。　二個。　で、帰ったら一個食べて、メチャメチャ美味しかった！！！
本当に。
日本では色んな好きな食べ物があるけどね、本当に久々にアーティチョークを食べて幸せって感じがした。
ありがとうね。

卵より