Nigerian soups are more than just a meal; they are an essential part of the cultural fabric. They are served with various accompaniments, or swallows, such as pounded yam, fufu, eba, amala, and tuwo, each adding its own texture and flavour profile to the experience. 

Egusi 

Often paired with leafy greens like waterleaf and pumpkin leaves (ugu). The beauty of egusi lies in its versatility. It can be prepared as a thick and chunky stew or a smoother soup, depending on individual preference. The addition of iru gives it a distinctive fermented aroma, adding a layer of complexity that is both alluring and satisfying.

Photo credit- Akudo Bistro 

Oha Soup

Best enjoyed with fufu, pounded yam, or eba. Oha soup is a true culinary masterpiece. Get ready to get a blend of bitterness, sweetness, spice, and richness dancing on the palate. With assorted meats, including beef, goat meat, and stockfish, to provide a substantial protein component

Edikaikong

Edikaikong is a highly nutritious, thick Nigerian vegetable soup native to the Efik people (Cross River/Akwa Ibom). It is made with a combination of fluted pumpkin leaves (ugu) and water leaf, cooked in red oil with a lot of proteins like stockfish, goat meat, dry fish, and periwinkles, with little to no added water. 

If you are outside Nigeria, you can substitute ugu and water leaf with kale and spinach, however you like it.

Miyan Kuka( Baobaa leaves)

Miyan Kuka is a soup that is made from baobab leaves and some other special spices that add a local and special flavor to the dish, an example of the spice that is usually added to Miyan Kuka is yaji.

This soup is also one of the most popular dishes found in the Northern parts of Nigeria because it is commonly paired with Tuwo shinkafa which is already the most popular soup in these Northern regions. This soup is what you can describe as ‘draw soup’.

Photo credit- African food network 

Fisherman’s Soup

Fisherman Soup is a rich, spicy, and authentic riverine delicacy, often described as a seafood lover’s delight. It is a “one-pot” soup packed with different fresh seafood such as fresh fish (croaker/catfish), prawns, crabs, snails, and periwinkles, commonly cooked with palm oil, thickened with cocoyam or ofor, and aromatic uziza leaves.  

Serve with your favourite swallow but, you must know that you don’t rush Fisherman’s Soup. You navigate the bones, crack the shells, and savor the heat of the yellow habanero as it warms you from the inside out.

Photo credit- Sisi Yemmie

Banga soup 

Banga soup is a rich Nigerian palm nut soup, popular in the Niger Delta and Southeast (as Ofe Akwu), made from palm fruit extract, spices, and assorted meats or fish. It is  thickened with palm nut concentrate, seasoned with banga spices, oburunbebe stick, and vegetables like bitter leaf or beletete. Pair with starch, pounded yam, or if you are opting for Ofe Akwu (Igbo style) pair with white rice. 

Photo credit- Active kitchen 

Bitterleaf

Bitterleaf soup (Ofe Onugbu) is a popular, nutritious Nigerian dish from the Igbo region, made up by a thick, savory base made from cocoyam and washed bitter leaves. Although it is called ‘bitterleaf soup,’ the dish is not necessarily an inherently bitter soup, as the leaves are thoroughly washed to reduce the bitterness before cooking. The soup combines assorted meats, stockfish, palm oil, crayfish, and ogiri (fermented locust beans), resulting in a rich flavor profile. Serve with your favourite swallow.

Gbegiri and Ewedu

Gbegiri is a high protein dish combining both plant and animal protein, although it can also be made vegan and it will still be that expressway. To mash the beans, you can use the local cooking broom (Ijabe), a blender or an electric immersion blender. Gbegiri can be eaten with Omi obe, Okro, Ewedu.