Street food in Nigeria form an integral part of the culture, and the people love it because no matter your taste, class, or tribe, there is a street food for you.
Nigeria prides itself on its many tribes, and with the tribes comes an array of foods. Some of which are commonly sold on the streets. This article will show you street food you will find in Nigeria and may want to try them.
Be sure to try some of these food if you have not yet, and if you are not in Nigeria, these food are a must-eat when you visit the country.
1. Suya
Suya is grilled meat specially prepared and served with a unique spice – Suya pepper alongside onions, cucumber, cabbage, and tomatoes. This meat delicacy is made with different kinds of meat – chicken, beef, lamb, and you can also find parts like the gizzard, kidney, and liver.
Although suya originated from Northern Nigeria, it is a national delicacy. The street food is often served wrapped in a newspaper or clean paper. You will find it in every part of Nigeria.
Suya is rich in protein, and iron, and other food items served with it augment the food value with vitamins and minerals.
2. Boli
Plantain is a staple in Lagos and can be eaten in different ways – boiled plantain, plantain porridge, fried plantain (dodo), or roasted plantain (boli).
Amongst the different ways you can prepare plantain, boli, and dodo make it to the streets. As street foods, fried plantain is served with bean meals like ewa agoyin, regular beans, and akara (bean cake).
On the other hand, boli is served with fried groundnut (peanut) and sometimes with roasted yam and pepper sauce, grilled fish, roasted mutton, or ponmo (cow skin).
You will find roasted plantain in many places in Nigeria, but the Yoruba name for the meal – boli – is often used.
3. Roasted Yam
You should add roasted yam to your list of recipes you want to try. Roasted yam is served with beef-filled pepper sauce or pepper-spiced palm oil. Many times, it is served alongside roasted plantain, roasted meat, grilled fish, and pepper–spiced ponmo. These street food are often sold by the same vendor.
4. Ewa Agoyin
Ewa agoyin is boiled beans served with black pepper stew. This is a Yoruba meal and is predominantly eaten in western Nigeria. The streets of Lagos always have this boiled mashed beans served with the black pepper stew spiced with onions and fired crayfish in palm oil to taste.
When next you see bell pepper (tatashe), consider giving ewa agoyin a taste because if you have not eaten this meal before, you are missing a very special delicacy.
You may want to pair this bean meal with Agege bread. The two are a pair. If you are not a fan of bread, enjoy your ewa agoyin with fried plantain, roasted plantain, garri, yam, etc., as you like it. To complete this experience, you should add fried fish or ponmo (cow skin) to the meal.
5. Agege Bread
I know what you are thinking – “What is special about this bread? It is just bread.” Well, let me break it to you. Agege bread is not just bread. It is the bread.
This bread is unique because it is soft, white, and dense, with a unique taste you cannot mistake for another. Agege bread is often served with ewa agoyin or akara. In the morning hours, many eat Agege bread with margarine and a cup of Mai Shayi’s tea (a street tea).
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6. Mai Shayi’s Treats
What sort of food is this? You may ask. Mai Shayi’s Treats is a group of food served in small street stalls. The menu consists of noodles, fried eggs, bread, and tea. Mai shayi is the word for the one who makes tea, and tea is the heart of a Mai Shayi’s menu.
This type of mini buka often belongs to Hausa men commonly called Aboki (friend). The cooks have a way of mixing tea and making you the best noodles and eggs you would ever taste.
With a Mai Shayi, you can eat your food at his stand or take it out and eat at your convenience.
7. Abacha
Abacha is made from the cassava plant. It is popularly called African salad. It is made from shredded cassava boiled and strained, then mixed with a special sauce. The sauce is made from palm oil and potash. Spices and other ingredients are added to taste. Vegetables like okazi or anara (garden egg leaves) are used in making this delicacy. Garden egg fruit, onions, fried fish, ponmo, and shrimp go with the finished dish.
This food originated from the Southeastern part of Nigeria and is a major street food anywhere you find Igbos, and that would be everywhere in Nigeria. Abach is usually sold by hawkers. You can identify them by their transparent boxes.
8. Akara
Akara is made from bean powder. The balls are deep-fried in vegetable oil to make crunchy bean balls. Some call it bean cake, and like some foods in Nigeria, the locals will prefer we just call it ‘akara’.
Akara is a street food sold often early in the morning or early evening as people prefer to eat it for breakfast or dinner. In some parts of Nigeria, like northern or western Nigeria, people eat akara at any time of the day.
For many, eating akara with pap is the best way to enjoy the food. In Lagos, akara and pap are sold side-by-side in the streets.
Being rich in protein, Muslims often have this meal combination during Ramadan. Mind you, akara has nothing to do with religion, but its nutritional value is the reason everyone loves it, the rich and the poor alike.
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9. Moi Moi
Just like akara, moi moi is made from bean paste. Unlike akara, moi moi is boiled wrapped in green leaves, small bowls, or tins. Moi moi is garnished with fish or eggs; some also use shrimp or crayfish. It is all about your taste.
10. Roasted Corn
Maize is a common crop in Nigeria. It thrives in all parts of the country. Little wonder corn is a staple in Nigeria. Corn is served boiled, fried, roasted, or mixed with other meals like beans.
The corn food in the streets across Nigeria are boiled and roasted corn. Roasted corn is preferred, as freshly harvested corn cobs or dry ones can be roasted and enjoyed with coconut, ube (Nigerian pear), or aku (palm kernel).
11. Ofada Rice and Sauce
A Yoruba cuisine from the small town of Ofada in Abeokuta, Ogun state, made of unpolished rice, is called Ofada rice. This food is not only seen in the streets but also at parties, canteens, and even the finest restaurants all over Nigeria.
The rice is prepared as white rice and served with palm oil stew with many small pieces of beef or any other meat you prefer and pepper-spiced. The meal is then served on green leaves. Often, the leaves of the miraculous plant are used, and sometimes, plantain or banana leaves.
12. Puff Puff
Puff puff is made from flour mixed with yeast, butter, eggs, a pinch of salt, and some sugar. Then, it is deep-fried in small balls in vegetable oil.
You will find this street food in every part of Nigeria, and most vendors are known to sell it hot from the pan, and many love it.
In some parts of Nigeria, people eat puff puff with pepper sauce, specially made to make it spicy and add a unique taste. If you are in Lagos, look out for the puff puff makers along every street with their custom-made tall firewood stoves and basin-big frying pans.
13. Zobo
You may be wondering why it is all solid food. There is no need to ask the question on your mind. Nigeria also has some local drinks like zobo, tiger nut drink, kunu, etc. However, zobo is the one you will find most often in the streets.
Zobo is made from an edible species of the hibiscus flower family. The leaf is deep red, and when harvested, it is dried for preservation.
Zobo drink is purple and served cold in different flavours.
Frequently asked questions
Will I find all the street food in one city in Nigeria?
Yes. All the major cities in Nigeria have the foods discussed in this article in their streets. As mentioned in the discuss, the timing you get some of the foods may vary.
How hygienic are street food in Nigeria?
This will depend on the city, location in the city, and the individual vendors. Generally, street foods are safe in Nigeria. Ho
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