Àmàlà is a staple food native to the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

ethnic group of Southwestern Nigeria. It is made of yam, cassava flour, or unripe plantain flour. Tubers of yams are peeled, sliced, cleaned, dried and then ground into flour. It is also called ''èlùbọ́''. Yams are white in colour but turn brown when dried which gives àmàlà its colour. It is a popular side dish served with ewédú and gbẹ̀gìrì ( black-eyed beans soup), but is also served with a variety of other ọbẹ (soups), such as ẹ̀fọ́, ilá, and

ogbono ''Irvingia gabonensis'' is a species of African trees in the genus '' Irvingia'', sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, or bush mango. They bear edible mango-like fruits, and are especially valued for their fat- and prot ...

Types

There are three types of àmàlà: ''àmàlà isu'', ''àmàlà láfún'', and ''amala ogede''.

Yam flour (àmàlà isu)

Àmàlà isu, the most common type of àmàlà, is yam-based. The particular yam species best for preparing àmàlà is '' Dioscorea cayenensis'' (Ikoro) because of its high starch content. Because of its perishability, yam is often dried and made into flour. The flour can then be reconstituted with hot water to form a paste or gel called

kokonte Kokonte, also known as abeti3, lapiiwa, lapelawa or “face the wall”, is a staple swallow food eaten in some parts of Africa including Togo, Ghana and others. In Ghana, kokonte is eaten by most of the ethnic groups like the Ga, Akan, Hausa, ...

in Ghana and Togo, and àmàlà in Nigeria. Àmàlà isu is made of dried yam. This gives it a black/brownish colour when added to boiling water. Amala is rich in carbohydrates and is an important source of carbohydrate, especially in the yam zone of West Africa.

Cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
flour (àmàlà láfún)

Àmàlà láfún is made from cassava flour. Dried cassava flour is known as lafun in Nigeria and konkonte in Ghana.

Plantain Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...
flour (Amala ogede)

Another type of Amala is ''elubo ogede,'' which is usually lighter in color. The low

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

level in plantain flour makes it suitable for diabetics. Unripe plantain is peeled, dried, and grated into boiling water, creating a light brown paste when cooked. Communal Feeding

Soups

Àmàlà can be eaten with various soups: *

Egusi Egusi (Yoruba: '' ẹ̀gúsí,'' Igbo: ègwusi), also known as, agusi, ohue, Ikpan, Ikon, or agushi) is the name for the protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants ( squash, melon, gourd), which, after being dried and ground, are us ...

: soup made of thickened melon seeds and leaf vegetables. * Ewedu soup: made from cooked and grated

Corchorus ''Corchorus'' is a genus of about 40–100 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Different common names are used in different contexts, with jute applying to the f ...

leaves with or without a small quantity of egusi and/or locust beans. * Okro soup: made from okra. *

Efo riro Efo riro ( yo, ẹ̀fọ́ riro) is a vegetable soup and a native soup of the Yoruba people of western Nigeria. The two vegetables most commonly used to prepare the soup are '' Celosia argentea'' () and ''Amaranthus hybridus'' (). Ingredients ...

: made from vegetables and a mixture of meat, fish, cow skin (ponmo) etc. * Ogbono soup: made from ground ogbono seeds and a mixture of palm oil,

stock fish Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks (which are called "hjell" in Norway) on the foreshore. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage li ...

and locust beans added as garnish. * Gbegiri soup: made from dried beans.

References

{{African cuisine

External links

habeeb olonje
Nigerian cuisine Staple foods Yoruba cuisine Swallows (food)