"SLC-S25/W1 | Community World Tour : Traditional Cuisine"

Traditional meals is one of those food that arouses people interest and sparkles their expectations when a story of culture or tradition is being said.

Talking about traditional meal, let me talk about my traditional background. I'm from Nigeria the giant of Africa, Nigeria has 36 states with different tribes and cultural background. One of it is Ibibio in a beautiful heart of Akwa Ibom state and that's where I belong.

In Akwa Ibom state, we have different culture but I only want to talk about where I belong which is the Ibibio. We have a lot of traditional dishes which are too numerous to mention, I showcase a lot of them on my blog because I like our traditional dish.

Afang soup with fufu swallow

In my region ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom state, Afang soup is the most know traditional soup and it is widely eaten by almost everyone. Afang soup is a taste of my home in a bowl, it is the soup that is cooked for any guests, for traditional marriage, any occasions or activities that required food. Any occasion in my region without Afang soup, is not well planned, it doesn't even exist before in history. Any soup prepared in the occasion must be afang soup or nothing.

Afang	fufu

Afang soup preparing in large quantity during my traditional marriage

While writing this contest, I remember back in those days of my childhood when my mum will cook afang soup during the weekend. I just remembered how we used to work cooperatively as a family just to make this soup and this unites us together because it has lot of stages while preparing it at home, so many hands joined together not only bring out the tastes of this food but it unites homes, builds our mindset and targets our healthy living.

I just recall how this food unite us together as a family. Few years ago when all of us were still living together, when we were still kids under our parents. When it's time to cook afang soup that is every weekends we do it as a family.

plugging from stem	cutting

My brother helping in plugging and cutting afang back then in the village

My brother helps in plugging and cutting the afang leaf, I will be helping cutting the water leaf, my sister will help in cutting periwinkle while my mum will be preparing the fish the meat and washing every other ingredient that is needed to prepare the food and while we're doing this will be telling stories, and will be playing together so it just reminds me of the olden days when we sit together to prepare our afang soup in a fun way.

And this don't only happens in my home, every other homes cooking this soup always have fun.

---

I remember when I travel to Lagos state another state in my country where I went to write some certain exams for a particular certification. My whole 2 weeks in Lagos state, I crave for afang soup until I visited a good restaurant that I satisfied my cravings. During those days it reminds me of my beautiful home of afang soup.

• Afang
• Waterleaf
• Crayfish
• Meat
• Palm oil
• Fish
• Periwinkle
• Snail(optional)
• Stockfish (optional)
• Seasoning cubes to taste
• Salt to taste

You can add any affordable chewables of your choice

Ingredients gallery

Afang leaf	Sliced Afang leaf	pounded afang

meat	snail	fish

periwinkle remove from shell	periwinkle with shell	crayfish

---

Preparation Method

---

• First you slice the afang leaf and pound it with mortar and pestle or grind it using a blender, avoid making it too smooth.

• You also wash and chop the water leaf

• You wash all your protein like your meat, fish, stock fish, snail and periwinkle wash all of them and put it inside your pot and steam it.

• Then you add your water leaf to it add your blended pepper and crayfish, add your palm oil cover your pot to simmer for 3 minutes.

• By this time, the water leaf will drain water into the soup and that's the water you will have for the soup. So no addition of any water aside from the water from your steamed meat and the water leaf water.

*Taste it to be sure that your seasoning cubes and salt is okay if it's not you are free to add more

• Then finally add your afang leaf, add palm oil then cover your pots to simmer my for 2 minutes.

• In 2 minutes time you open your pot turn your soup, be sure it's properly mixed together then your afang soup is ready to be served.

There is this part that I did not mention from the beginning of my post. This soup is being saved with fufu swallow but you can use any swallow of your choice, traditionally afang soup goes well with fufu it's either fufu with afang soup or nothing.

Myself with my food

This is a well prepared Afang soup with fufu by a typical ibibio woman. One thing I like about this afang soup is that, It is very affordable so even in market in the urban areas, this afang can be seen and it is very affordable.

Even with that, there are other dishes and culture in my region be free to check it out.

[//]:# (!steematlas 4.6079128 lat 7.73094177 long Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State Nigeria d3scr)

So you can eat it with any swallow of your choice be it garri fufu or oat swallow but the main taste of it is gotten with fufu.

Fufu swallow is made with cassava, so it is a rich meal, rich in carbohydrate.

The "TYPE LESS SMILE MORE" gesture

Afang soup is a life saving dish, it turns a hungry smile to a healthy one.

Enjoy my video on how I prepared my Afang soup.