A Taste of Calabar

Book for the Month of February- A Taste of Calabar

February is synonymous to love and the say the best way to a man’s heart is his stomach.

I decided to study that act of cooking for two major reasons; one because I love to experiment with food especially food with colour. I guess that is the main reason that I love fruits and vegetables salads, they are my favourite on any buffet anyday-anytime.

Secondly, I want to cook at will; especially those soups that are typically not Yoruba’s- Edikang Ekong, Afang soup, Afia Efere and many wonderful delicacies from the southern and Niger Delta regions because I want to really give KK the very best of food.

This month I read a very small book of 80 incisive pages, which I will recommend to any woman who is very serious about improving her cooking skills because I’ve discovered from interactions with ladies that majority of them love to eat but they seriously detest cooking. Their reasons are not what I know but it might be the kind of business and professional lifestyle we live in this century where we compete with men on work fields.

I got this book on one of my trips to Cross Rivers at the culture in Calabar. Mrs. Arit Ana, the author of this book meticulously described Calabar in this book “A Taste of Calabar” may be that we give you the reason why the name CALABAR is always associated with good cooking and sumptuous meals. 

This poem was worded by Justice Otoo, it’s on page 5 of this book and it goes thus:

Calabar ooo

Calabar ooo

Calabar ooo Calabar ooo

Nyedung do mfin (I will live there today)

Ufan (my friend) canan, canan

Calabar ooo

 Nyedung do mfin (I will live there today)

My Dress is drenched in dribble

My own dribble obviously because I am

Not carrying a baby

I feel so glad to be alive as I drift in a

Trance through thousand streets

Of smell so sweet 

My eyes feast on grandma’s cooking pot

THIS IS CALABAR!!!

No wonder I have no control over my

Test buds

With this type of poem, one will definitely feel hunger without seeing food anywhere near.
 

She took us through the Nigeria’s food history, the basic staple foods of different geographical regions, food habits of different tribes, their eating patterns, also delved into small history of Calabar and the Efiks (the indigenes of Calabar) culture and food habits.

The food conversion measurement techniques in British methods and American methods were also not left out. 

On page 11 She said “Efik believe in two proverbs- That it is what a sick person like to eat that he/she will go the other world with and secondly, The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

The book didn’t just analysis local soups but also picked menus from other regions, snacks preparation were also explained in it. 

Name of local ingredients were given with their local names so one will not have problems of not getting the ingredients from the market women, clean picture of some of the prepared meals are also presented.

My most loved in the book is on page 48 where she described the preparation of Ekpang Nkukwo, this is a menu similar to Ikokore the native food of the Ijebus. I’ve prepared the meal and it turned out nice and I love it.

I know my friends abroad who love Nigerians meals or those who married to Nigerians will find a helping hand in Mrs. Ana food compilation in The Taste of Calabar.

As you get the book, please try some of the menu in it and all I can say from this end is Bonne Appétit.