Afia Efere: Nigerian White Soup
My family's favourite recipe and the memories it evokes
Nigerian goat meat, white soup. Photo submitted by the author.
I grew up in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State located in the southern part of Nigeria during the early 2000s. I lived with my parents and siblings in a comfortable bungalow. While growing up the meal that is preferred and loved in my family is pounded yam and goat meat white soup. This traditional Nigerian soup is made with a variety of meat, vegetables, and spices and is known for its rich, creamy texture and bold flavors. Every time I think about white soup, I am reminded of my childhood memories and family gatherings where this dish was always a highlight.
Let me tell you a bit about the history and significance of white soup in Nigerian cuisine. White soup, also known as afia efere, originated from the Efik tribe in southern part of Nigeria, which is the culture of the Cross River State Indigenes.
In 1987, the state was divided into two and the other part is now called Akwa Ibom State. The Efik tribe is known for their interesting and rich cultural heritage when it comes to cooking, dancing, language and dress. The Efik people speak Efik language which is a member of the Benue-congo subfaming of the Niger-congo language group. Their women will always adorn themselves with an attire called Onyonyo, which is a regal ball gown. Their traditional soup is called the white soup.
White soup is usually served with pounded yam, pounded cocoyam and garri (processed cassava) during special occasions like weddings, festivals, and family celebrations. As a child, I always looked forward to family gatherings where my grandmother or my mother would make this special soup. It is very healthy and is often eaten during cold seasons because of the spices, which aids metabolism.
On April 7, 2019, my parents, siblings and I arrived at Okon, my village in Akwa Ibom State. My dad's immediate brother and younger brother had arrived earlier. We had come over to visit my aging grandmother who could barely walk. It was her 80th birthday and my extended family was there for a visit. I'm a young adult of 19 years with curiosity and desire. I saw the love and excitement that was spreading amongst the family members, and so I decided to make the bond stronger by making them more satisfied. Like it is always said in my village, "a hungry man is an angry man.”
I decided to express my culinary skills in the art of preparing pounded yam and goat meat white soup. I went to the market to buy the necessary ingredients. The delicious and nutritious value of white soup depends on understanding the key ingredients.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of goat meat/chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium-sized smoked fish
1 cup of ground crayfish
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 scotch bonnet peppers, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 thumb-sized ginger, grated
1 cube of maggi or chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons of Uziza seeds
2 teaspoons of utazi leaves (optional)
Salt to taste
1 cup of palm oil
Scent leaves (African basil)
1 medium-sized yam, peeled and cut into cubes
First, the spices and herbs used in the preparation of this delicious and yet complicated soup are highlighted above. Some of the most important spices and herbs are crayfish, garlic, ginger, pepper, scent leaf, tetrapleura tetraptera or aidan fruit — uyayak as commonly called in Akwa Ibom. Uyayak is a single stemmed, robust, perennial tree of about 30 metres. It has a brown bark (smooth or rough) with glabrous round branchlets. Uyayak is a spice that adds flavour in white soups here in Akwa Ibom. It's a dried ridge bearing fruit from a forest tree. It has a wonderful scent or aroma that spices up the white soup. Dried shrimp is another valuable flavour, as are seasoning cubes and salt.
Uyayak, Aidan fruit, or tetrapleura tetraptera
Photo from Wikipedia commons
Dried crayfish
Photo submitted by the author
Then I bought my fresh goat meat from the butcher, fish, yam (for the eba and thickening of the soup), and cow skin. Although it's optional I can never forget snails, which are my grandmother's favourite. While I shopped, I met an old friend that was staying with her mom in the village and told her about my recipe. She said she sold periwinkle, so I bought periwinkle from her which put a smile on her face. When I had gotten the necessary ingredients I headed home.
I found everyone still chatting and laughing and Grandma was telling the younger children stories. I went to the backyard, where our traditional kitchen was located, to start the meal preparation. I peeled and neatly washed my yam, so that it would be pounded as it served as our accompaniment. Traditional kitchen’s have tricky foundations. Steady inhalation of the toxic air from the charcoal and firewood in a badly aerated kitchen can cause catarrh and bronchitis.
A traditional fireplace in Nigeria.
Photo submitted by the author.
The high protein content is essential to make this heavy meal that leaves one satisfied for a long time. Every time my mother made white soup, the house would be filled with the aromas of garlic, ginger, and other spices. My siblings and I would eagerly wait for her to call us to the dining table. As soon as we saw the fragrant soup, we knew it was time to eat, but this time it was different because it was the first time I made food for the whole family. Other times we gathered it was either my grandmother, mom or aunt that prepared the meal. I wanted to make it known to them that cooking is in the genes.
I put washed yam in a pot, added water and put the pot on the fire. I went ahead to prepare the other ingredients. I properly washed my goat meat. Just after my yam was boiled, I removed it from the fire and drained the water. When I poured the yam into a mortar, I started pounding. The sound of it communicated to the people outside that something was going on at the back.
It was food for a large family so it would take longer to prepare. My grandmother had always taught us to join in when there's food preparation going on. I turned around and saw my cousins rushing in and asking why I didn't ask for help. Jack, who's my cousin, grabbed the pestle from me and started pounding. Ebuka, who is Jack's immediate younger brother started washing the leaves. Then Beatrice, my favourite cousin, washed the cow skin and periwinkle and my youngest brother Josh, went ahead to set the table inside.
The pounding process
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The served, pounded yam
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The meal preparation was getting easier for me and the division of labour not only made it efficient, but it brought us together. I put the washed goat meat on the fire, seasoned it with salt, cubes, and pepper. The pepper and seasoning adds taste and flavour to the meat which gives a savory and delicious satisfaction when eating the meat. While my meat was still on the fire, I added the washed snails and cowskin and allowed them to cook. I went ahead to check the pounded yam and it was strong, I added leftover water from the cooking yam and my cousin continued pounding until it was soft. He then turned it into a big serving bowl and took it into the dining room.
I recalled when I was younger and my cousin Jack had a shortcoming. My father had pounded the yam and given it to him to take into the house and he missed a step and fell with the pounded yam on the ground. My grandmother had chased him with a broom and then we had to go for a substitute. This particular incident occurred in 2008 before my grandmother's 70th birthday, when she was still agile.
“The aroma of the delicious goat meat white soup called everyone into the dining room”
Now Jack has grown older and stronger which made me smile as I watched him take the pounded yam inside. I added water to the stock for the soup, added my grounded crayfish, dried shrimps, fish, and periwinkle. The soup is almost ready, I added my uyayak, garlic, ginger and scent leaves (African basil) to add taste and give flavour to the soup. I allowed it to steam for sometime then removed the soup from the fire. At this point my soup was ready to be served. I turned the soup into a serving bowl and took it to the dining room where the table was already set. The aroma of the delicious goat meat white soup called everyone into the dining room.
Another fond memory of white soup was during the holiday season in the year 2006, it was my grandfather's memorial. My extended family gathered at my grandparents' house, and my mother had made a large pot of white soup. The adults sat outside under the shade of the mango tree, while my cousins and I played in the courtyard. As the sun began to set, we all came together to have dinner. The soup was served in a big pot and placed in the middle of the dining table. We all sat around, scooping the soup with our garri and enjoying each other's company. That dinner was full of laughter, stories, and love. The white soup was the centerpiece that brought us all together. Again this delicious recipe had brought us together on my grandfather's memorial.
We all sat as a family while my mom served the food, my dad prayed and blessed the food. I waited and watched everyone take a swallow, my dad smiled and said the food had the bottom pot taste, which means it was delicious. Bottom pot taste is a funny way we describe our meals when we believe it has mixed up with the natural ingredients. It's actually a family thing, my grandmother who was sitting close to me held my hands and said she was proud of me.
We had white soup during my grandmother's 70th birthday celebration in 2009. My mother cooked a huge pot of white soup, and all our extended family members came to celebrate. My grandmother, who had taught my mother how to make the soup, was the first to taste it. She smiled and nodded in approval, she told my mother her cooking got better everyday, and the whole family followed suit. That was one of the best compliments my mother could have received, and it made all her efforts in the kitchen worthwhile.
“The memories created in the kitchen while preparing white soup with my family are just as cherished as the memories of eating it together.”
As I grew older, I started appreciating the cultural importance of white soup. It is not just a delicious dish, but it represents the unity and love that brings family and friends together. The process of making the soup is also a bonding experience, as every family member has a role to play. I remember watching my mother chop the onions, while my father helped to clean the fish. My siblings and I would take turns pounding the yam and my aunt stirring the soup. The memories created in the kitchen while preparing white soup with my family are just as cherished as the memories of eating it together. I was so glad, as I have also received positive compliments from my family which made me feel joyous and proud of myself.
White soup is more than just a dish in my family and the Efik tribe. It is a tradition that has been passed down for generations. My family's recipe may be slightly different from others, but it holds a special place in my heart. Every time I make this soup, the familiar smells and flavors take me back to my childhood memories and family gatherings. It reminds me of the love, laughter, and togetherness that my family shares, and it will always hold a special place in my heart and on my dinner table.
