Home
Culinary Culture of About Akwa Ibom State
You Are Here:  Skip Navigation LinksHome>About Akwa Ibom>People>Cuisine

"The Akwa Ibom Project involves attitudinal re-orientation; cultivation of a positive mindset; instilling self-confidence through massive empowerment of our people; and the inculcation of the moral values of hard work, courage, honesty, service and pragmatic peaceful co-existence"

- Akpabio

Akwa Ibom State is located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It has a population of 3,920,208 and a land area of 6,900 sq Km. It is located between latitudes 4o 31’ and 5o 53’ north and longitudes 7o 25’ and 8o 25’ east. It comprises 31 kocal government areas. Uyo is state capial. Major urban centres include Uyo, Eket, Ikot Ekpene, Abak, Ikot Abasi and Oron.

major ethnic groups are Ibibio, Anang, Oron, Eket, and Mbo. The vegetation is characterised by three easily distinguishable types namely the saline water swamp forest, the fresh water swamp and the rain forest


Edikang Ikong

This is a soup of sliced pumpkin and water leaves with a rich variety of seafood and meat. Other important ingredients are smoked fish, crayfish, pepper, palm oil, meat, salt and little water. The food is served with boiled yam, garri or foo-foo (boiled cassava flour).

Afang Soup

This is a delicacy made from shredded ‘afang’ and waterleaves, called mmong mmong iking which is very rich in vitamins. Other ingredients are smoked fish, meat, crayfish, salt, pepper, palm oil, and stockfish with little water. It could be served with foo-foo, pounded yam, garri (toasted cassava flour) etc.

Ekpang Nkukwo

Ekpang is a traditional luxury dish of the Akwa Ibomites. It is made from cocoyam, grated into balls and wrapped in special cocoyam leaves. Other ingredients added are pepper, salt, palm oil, crayfish, maggi, fish, periwinkle and other recipes.


Ingredients


INGREDIENT USAGE
Fish We love fish, smoked and dried, we have an abundance of that. And in any soup we cook we put the crayfish, which are tiny blended dried shrimps
Meat Meat is in fact the one ingredient that Akwa Ibomite cooking cannot do without.
Yam The yams, cousin to the sweet potato, especially, are vital in the West African Fufu. You can boil it, roast it pound it and turn it into Fufu. Fufu is a starchy derivative that few Africans seem to be able to live without.
Palm Oil One of Akwa Ibom’s natural resources, is the olive oil of West Africa. it is used to color the food and give it a good taste. it is also used it as a sauce
Cassava Cassava, the poor man’s staple, grows in the most unlikely conditions and has saved more African lives than peace treaties. Poems have been written about it. Pounded into mush, it is the basis for two of the most popular dishes in Africa, Garri and Fufu. These are both starchy dishes, compatible with practically everything.
Plantain They are very important. They can be eaten ripe and unripe, if cooked in palm oil, corn or peanut oil. Fried plantains, similar to bananas, are sold on the streets in Africa, like crepes in France, and served with rice almost everywhere. It is one of the tastes that visitors think about all the time until they get back.
Rice African rice has been cultivated for 3500 years, and it all started in the Niger River delta. Akwa Ibomites use it liberally, and most successfully with fried plantains and fish.

Abak Soup

This is prepared from oil palm fruit and leaves. This delicacy requires lots of condiments like, smoked fish, meat, seafood like periwinkle, stockfish, crayfish, pepper and salt. It could be served with boiled yam, plantain, foo-foo, pounded yam, garri or rice.

Afere Ikon

Made from melon seed, bitter leaf (etidot) and waterleaves with fish, meat, stockfish, periwinkle and other soup ingredients.

Otong Afere Atike

This is a delicacy made from okra fruit and vegetable with fish, meat, periwinkle and other soup ingredient, served with Anyan ekpang, foo-foo, garri or pounded yam.

Anyan Ekpang

Is a form of foo-foo produced from cocoyam or cassava, wrapped in plantain leaves. It is served with Afere Abak. Among numerous others.

Afia Efere Ebot

It is a combination of spices used for traditional ceremonies. Goat meat, smoked fish and stockfish bring out the best of it.

Cassava Porridge (Asa Iwa)

This is grated cassava, wrapped in tender Cocoyam leaves and cooked in palm oil stew.


Water Yam Porridge (Oto Ebre)

Grated water yam is prepared with fish, crayfish and pepper. For this particular dish palm oil is not needed


Corn Porridge (Asa Akpakpa)

Is a product of grated corn, vegetable, fish, palm oil and other soup ingredients.

Cassava Snack (Edita Iwa)

Peper Soup

Coconut Rice (Edesi isip)

Is an appetizer made from cassava tuber usually served with coconut, salted or fresh fish and pear.

One of the true delights in Akwa Ibomite cooking. It is peppered right up to the edge of being too spicy, but it never burns. It can be made with any type of meat, especially goat.

The rice is prepared with coconut milk and other ingredients like goat meat, smoked fish, prawns, pepper, salt and crayfish.

  About Akwa Ibom Government State Development News Center Site Info  
  People Executive Infrastructure Development State News Site Map  
  Social Legislative Service Delivery Features Feedback  
  Resources Judicary People Development In Newspapers FAQ  
  Investing Federal Legislators Mega Projects Events Gallery Contact Us  
  Geography and Location Laws of Akwa Ibom Interministerial Photo Gallery Accessibility  
  Culture Ministries State Projects Article Search Privacy  
  Tourism State Agencies Transforming Projects Flight Schedule Blog  
  Cuisine Local Government Movie Schedule  
Copyright © 2012 Government of Akwa Ibom State