When it comes to Nigerian food, warm, fragrant dishes dominate the cuisine. In a country with over 300 tribes from many different ethnic groups and an extensive food history, the likes of suya, jollof rice, and egusi soup are often the most popular dishes, banga soup origin can be traced to the south check the subsequent section for more information

Banga Soup 

Banga soup is a rich soup made from meat or fish, palm nut fruit concentrate, and an assortment of spices such as habanero, and scotch bonnet peppers. Banga also contains oburunbebe sticks, sometimes called African licorice sticks. 

Like other soups from Nigeria, it’s eaten with “swallow,” a type of side dish that is dipped into your soup of choice and swallowed, not chewed. Banga can be eaten with eba, a swallow made from fried cassava, or pounded yam, which is made from peeled, boiled yams. 

Banga soup has a savoury, spicy taste, however, the foundation comes from palm nut cream. Palm nut soup is eaten across West Africa, with each country and ethnic group delivering its special take on it. 

Banga Soup Origin

Although banga soup is enjoyed by a lot of Nigerians, the ethnic groups in the Niger Delta are to thank for the dish, particularly the people of the Urhobo and Itsekiri tribes. There’s no specified period for when it originated, but its star ingredient has deep roots in the country’s history.

The oil palm tree, which produces red palm oil as well as palm nut concentrate, grows in the Niger Delta and has been in the country for thousands of years. The oil palm fruit and everything that’s derived from it has always held significance. 

While the protein in banga soup is dependent on the preferences of whoever prepared it, seafood is traditionally used. The region gets its name from the river that runs through it, providing it with the crabs, snails, catfish, periwinkle, and crayfish that flavour banga soup. Although oil spills from international companies have polluted the water throughout the Delta, its fresh and dry seafood remain integral to the rich taste of banga soup.

How Is Banga Soup Made?

The main ingredient in banga soup is palm nut cream. Extracted from the fruits of the oil palm tree, the cream has a deep, nutty flavour.

It can equally be sold in tin cans, the thick paste needs to be diluted with water and stock from the meat or fish you cook. 

Add your meat and fish to a large pot and season it with salt, aromatics, and bouillon cubes. Once your protein is finished cooking, remove it from the pot and pour the palm nut cream into the pot.

Although the palm nut cream provides the soup with a nutty taste, the spicy, flavours come from the banga spice, which contains a variety of spices such as African nutmeg and a blend of taiko and irugeje seeds.

Tracking down individual spices can be difficult, but you can find blends of them at African grocery stores or online. Once you’ve sprinkled in the spices, add your meat back to the pot and allow the soup to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

How Healthy is Banger Soup?

Banga soup is made from the extracted flesh of the palm kernel fruit. The fruit is boiled and the oil which is used to make the soup is extracted. Banga soup is literally made out of palm oil and carries all the nutritional benefits. 

Banga soup contains fats, vitamins A and E. The palm oil that makes up the soup is an excellent source of tocotrienols, a form of vitamin E with strong antioxidant properties that support brain health. Vitamin A is also great for the skin and eyes. It helps to improve vision and give clearer skin.