Five Top Dishes From Ebonyi State

The indigenous people of Ebonyi state love to share foods with neighbors, family, and friends; house visits are always accompanied by bundles of food items. Now, to the breakdown of the five top dishes from Ebonyi state, their distinct local meals, and their cultural values, connections, and justification. (Note that Ebonyi is the youngest state in the Southeastern part of Nigeria with thirteen LGAs: Abakaliki, Afikpo North, Afikpo South, Ebonyi, Ezza North, Ezza South, Ikwo, Ishielu, Ivo, Izzi, Ohaozara, Ohaukwu, and Onicha.)

For the sake of neutrality, these foods are listed randomly and not based on perceived importance. every local government area in Ebonyi state has its different local delicacy in a match with their different cultural exhibitions. Also, note that it’s common among the Ebonyians to share relatively the same kinds of local meals. So it’s important to highlight majorly the parts that cannot be noticed always. There isn’t so much difference between the thirteen local governments.

The most recognized dishes from Ebonyi state include Ophe Onu-nji (yam soup), Egusi (Melon Seed), Ophe esusa, (Bene seed soup), Ophe ashimoko (Grandnut soup), Ophe akpuruata (Akpuruata). These soups can be best served with pounded yam, Fufu, or pounded local rice. The above listed are the major local dishes, mostly available during any cultural events life festivals, traditional marriages, burials, etc.

Ophe Onu-nji (Yam soup)

This is arguably the most recognized meal in Ebonyi state. It’s quite different from the white soup of the other Igbos. Though both involve yam in its preparation this particular yam soup goes with the “good yam” known as “Nnebunji” by some part of Ebonyi state while the famous white soup or ofe nsala of the other Igbos involves the use of the water yam or normal yam in its preparation.

Yam soup can be seen only in native kitchens and delicacies where the real indigenous usually goes to refresh the good life with their local good delicacies.

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This soup is majorly owned by a part of Ebonyi called Ikwo and has grown to be a well-recognized meal in the major parts of Ebonyi state. This dish also has great cultural value in ceremonies. Some examples of the occasions where it’s expected to be available include marriage introductions, traditional weddings, naming ceremonies, burials, coronations, chieftaincy title ceremonies, reception events, etc.

Ophe esusa

Known as benne seed in English, this soup is usually cooked for occasions like traditional marriage, naming ceremony, child dedication, meetings, condolences, or kinsmen visit, and bride price ceremony as most men enjoy the soup more than any other meal.

This soup is less expensive to prepare, making it a must on many occasions in many local government areas (Izzi, Ikwo, Ezza, Ishelu, Ebonyi, Abakaliki, and Ohaukwu, etc) where it is a small shocker to feast without esusa soup. It is either dished with pounded yam, fufu, nwokpechja, or any other swallow you feel comfortable with.

Groundnuts soup (Ophe ashimoko)

This one is the oldest among every other soup cooked in Izzi and Ohaukwu LGAs. Anywhere you visit and get served with Grandnut soup, it’s not out of place to inquire if your host is from either Izzi or Ohaukwu because it’s a norm for these two local government areas.

During a traditional marriage particularly in Ohaukwu local government area, the groom and the bride with their friends are under a mandate to feed on pounded yam/eba with esho (must be esho soup) before the event can continue. In a case where this is not done, such union is not traditionally endorsed.

It is well recognized by every part of Ebonyi and it goes with ophe esusa and ogbono and can be garnished with bitter leaf to add taste.

Its preparation is depending on what you want to cook or eat. It goes with eba, or that of nwokpechja, most people prefer fufu. It still doesn’t require any special occasion. But it’s highly recognized.

Ophe akpuruata

This is another soup enjoyed by many in Ebonyi state and its localities mostly on occasions like traditional marriages and naming ceremonies. It’s a seed with a black hole and orange cap. The seed is roasted, broken, and peeled, with the inside seed ground into a powdered form and used to make your soup.

This soup can be seen in local restaurants. It is also compulsory that an average Ishiagu family, in Ivo LGA, must prepare fufu with Akparata soup and probably use roasted chicken to prepare the soup for his family members and guests.

Ebonyi Special Ogbono (ukpa – draw soup)

Ogbono is another delicious soup cooked by many clans in the southeast. In most parts of Ebonyi, they mix it together with either groundnut soup, Bene seed, or egusi, because to them, it is preferably best enjoyed when mixed with their other local soup.

In recent time, most indigenous people of Ebonyi State now prepare ogbono alone. The taste of Ogbono is evergreen as new methods of preparation come in on a daily basis, meaning so many special forms come in. There’s no local or continental kitchen that doesn’t have ogbono on its menu. It’s nice to know that this dish, also happens to be among the top five dishes in Ebonyi State, whether the hybrid one with other seeds or ogbono stands alone.

Bonus dish – Egusi (Melon seed)

Melon seed is a widely served dish in virtually every place in Nigeria. It’s actually a top 2 dish (but it is included as bonus because of its wide usage to mean that we highlighted items that are more peculiar to Ebonyi). Egusi can be prepared in so many ways.

In some parts of Ebonyi State during ceremonies like carnivals, new yam festivals, burials, and marriage ceremonies. the melon seed is ground to the point that its oil is extracted completely and rolled, cooked with required seasonings, and finally dried and served together with dry meat and the likes.

Melon soup can also be prepared in the normal soup format with onubu (bitter leaf) and served with fufu or pounded yam. Egusi can also be mixed with ogbono (draw) depending on what the chef wants to achieve. It’s the most common dish in the Ebonyi region because a lot of people from outside the region can easily eat and appreciate it without any need for a cultural switch. It can be seen in most intercontinental and local kitchens anywhere around the region.

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Note that we mentioned nwokpechja in quite a number of places above. Nwokpechja is special local rice. It is very tiny and black in color. This is used to serve any of the soup that is mentioned above. It is a delicious meal mostly prepared for a nursing/breastfeeding mother (nwanyi omugo) which helps most of them to regain weight and strength back after birth.

This nwokpecha rice can also be prepared in the usual rice preparation format but can only be best enjoyed by indigenes because an outsider might flare at the sight but the taste and health significance is top-notch.

In sum, all the dishes mentioned above are best enjoyed when you use the right ingredients to prepare them. For instance, if u want to enjoy Ophe ukpo use roasted chicken and assorted meat.

Listing of other local meals from others parts of Ebonyi state would still entail the repetition of the things stated earlier. Recall that, it was mentioned somewhere above that generally, the indigenous people of Ebonyi State has the same food identity but the consumption is where the big difference now comes in where a certain food used for burial in Ikwo local government area might be served in a naming ceremony in Izzi Local government and same to the other LGAs.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that some parts of Ebonyi State tags the misuse of some certain dish as an abomination and would require that the gods of their land must be appeased for the victim to be freed from the cursed proclaimed on such person, as a result, such person’s act.

Lastly, identifying the diversities in culture and settling the dispute between certain dishes, their cultural values, and their applications are most necessary as it could save you a lot of stress in relating with citizens from this part of the world as they need for integration and cooperation has continued to rise and wax.

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