Top 10 Most Expensive Native Nigerian Foods

The African continent is blessed with some of the best cuisines in the world. Nigerian being regarded as the giant of Africa, posses some of the nicest cuisines on the African continent.

Reasonably, the taste and richness of African food have made it one of the most visited places in the world. There is no doubt that Nigeria has some of the most delicious native foods in Africa. However, as delicious some of these food are, many people don’t know that they are quite expensive. The silver lining is that all intercontinental dishes are still more expensive than our local dishes.

It is worthy of note that there are some native foods in Nigeria that are quite expensive. Purchasing these foods from restaurants or canteen can be quite frustrating. When you pay a lot and get a little served on the plate, your curiosity might be doubled.

In this article, we will be looking at the top 10 most expensive Nigerian native foods.

1) OFADA RICE

Anyone who is a consistent fan of this meal would agree that this meal is quite expensive. Ofada is made from the locally grown grain (rice). We can call it the African rice.
Unlike normal white rice, Ofada is specially prepared and not common. The scarcity of rice made a demand for it to become very high. Moreso, the meal is considered to be more medicinal than normal rice.
Before it can be properly enjoyed, it must be served with it specially made stew.

2) EDIKANG IKONG

This Nigerian cuisine is predominantly originated from the South-South part of Nigeria. It gained its root from Cross-River, Nigeria. Edikang Ikong is considered to be the soup of the rich and famous.

The preparation of Edikang Ikong is quite easy. However, the necessary ingredients needed to prepare a top-notch Edikang Ikong can make an average man have a rethink. The soup is highly proteinous because of the variety of ingredients used in its preparation.

3) OGBONO SOUP

You might be wondering why and how Ogbono soup made this list. The normal Ogbono soup that is most prepared by many is not the best way to enjoy this African dish.

Interestingly, if one wants to truly enjoy Ogbono soup, the ingredients can be quite expensive. It requires a variety of ingredients, from small vegetables, cow skin, assorted meat, stockfish and so on. So, never you say Ogbono soup is cheap. The real Ogbono soup is not relatively cheap.

4) EGUSI SOUP

Egusi soup is gotten from a white melon seed.  The food is highly nutritious when prepared well. Egusi soup is not as cheap as most people think it is. If you have ever tasted a well-cooked egusi soup, you can not but wonder how much was made to prepare the food.

An honest visit to some of the top-notch restaurants in Lagos will clear your doubts about this Nigerian dish.

5) OHA SOUP

Oha Soup is made from the traditional greenish leaf called Oha. Funnily, almost all Nigerian local dishes are highly medicinal.

The leaf itself is quite scarce due to popular demand. Also, the soup is just like the Ofada rice that requires special preparation. Mostly, Oha Soup is always prescribed as medicine for patients who are just recovering.

6) IKOKORE

This food is quite popular among the Yoruba people. The Ijebu people are the founder of this great meal.
For the records, Ikokore is not pleasant to the sight of it is not prepared in the right way.

Ikokore is gotten from yam, though, this food looks like yam porridge, but it doesn’t taste like it. It is not a regular food that you find on the table of people.  Often times, people get to eat Ikokore in a big man’s party.

7) FRIED SNAIL AND PEPPER SAUCE

The price of snail meal differs according to season. For instance, one might not necessarily need to break the bank during the raining season to get a snail. However, during the blinding sun of summer, one might need to rob multiple banks to get snail meal.

Snail is nutritional and health-friendly. It is low in cholesterol because it doesn’t have red blood. When properly prepared with pepper sauce, a snail is the best meal one could have for launch.

8) EFO RIRO

Efo rirọ is mostly common among the Yoruba. This soup would have been very cheap and easy to get. However, because of the expensive nature of Yoruba. Interestingly, Yorubas have strategically divided this food into a diverse class. There is Efo e lémi méje (Vegetable with Seven life). This means that the varieties of assorted that will be in it will be seven. E.g cowskin, snail, periwinkle, stockfish, smoked fish and so on. These categories have made Efo riro quite expensive.

9) CATFISH OR GOAT MEAT PEPPER SOUP

You might need to check the selling price of a Big Catfish or goat meat in the market. A plate of Catfish pepper soup in a renown restaurant might cost within the range of Two thousand to Three thousand naira. Many times, this native Nigerian food is mostly gotten from local canteens. It is best served with a bottle of chilled beer.

10) NKOWBI

Nkowbi is regarded as a meat soup. It is the cooking of varieties of assorted meat garnished with pepper.

A plate of Nkowbi is within the range of three to four thousand nairas. This explains why it is mostly taken by the rich and famous. Just an average person or low-income earner my not be able to gainfully enjoy this meal except it was given as a gift.

Other Expensive Nigerian Delicacies…

Peppered Snail

Pounded Yam (Not from flour)

Ekpang Nkukwo

Starch and Banga

Ukwa (Breadfruit porridge)

Conclusively, all these native Nigerian food are quite medicinal. The doctor of the 22nd century would make good use of ingredients in native Nigerian food to cure quite a number of illnesses.

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