Top 10 Nigerian Street Foods To Try Out

I’m a foodie by all standards. I am a food lover so much that I had to create a list of Top 10 Nigerian Street Foods for you to try out. If there’s a criterion to judge and decide who the world’s greatest foodie is, I am sure I’d be the winner of that show, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. My interest in food led me to create a list of Nigeria’s Top Foods, You can read that HERE.

So let’s have it. Some of Nigeria’s top quick fixes:

TOP 10 NIGERIAN STREET FOODS

1. Suya

First of all, make way for the king of Naija Street Food. No other food can beat this. Either beef suya or chicken suya, suya reigns supreme in the life of Nigerians. Pro tip about this amazing meal: the cloak of darkness at night adds to its sweetness (a Nigerian myth though). It simply means that it is mostly eaten at night.

2. Plantain

Where suya is king, plantain is king. Nigerians have a fun prayer that says, “may I not experience any sickness that will prevent me from eating plantain”. The uniqueness and variety of this plant makes it a top street food. The ripe plantain is fried and made into dodo, while the unripe is also fried and made into plantain chips. Overripe plantains are made into dodo ikire. Also fried, majorly made in a Yoruba town called Ikire in Osun State. Chief of all is boli. Boli is roasted Plantain.

3. Maize/Corn

When the rain comes, the corn comes. The rainy season is received with so much joy because it comes with an abundance of fresh, soft, succulent cobs of corn ready to be eaten by Nigerians all over the country. Either boiled or roasted, corn is a much-loved street food. It is paired with coconut or African pear, referred to as udara by Igbos. On good days, it is cooked alongside beans as a kind of porridge.

4. Barbecue Fish

Nigerians love roasted fish, a sizzling dash of pepper will make it perfect. Once again, the nightlife is the biggest flavour. Beside every suya joint are the barbecue guy, the grills madam and asun maestro also steadily grabbing their own customers. Best eaten with bae, boo or the love of your life. I believe pepper is a spice for love. If you have a kitchen oven, this should be your daily meal.

5. Yam

This is the chief of the kingdom. Yam is so loved that a man used it in proposing to his girlfriend. Either fried or roasted, it is the way to the hearts of many. It is accompanied by fried fish or roasted fish. You have a bomb dish.

6. Gizdodo

Gizdodo of life, I’m wondering why I didn’t include it as part of the plantain dishes. The perfect Nigerian appetizer. Plis and Plis is unique. It is the king of all stick meat. Peppered and fried gizzard and plantain as kebabs, especially at night parties, the Yoruba kind, with pepper known as alata suesue. Please, gizdodo will make you throw all your money at the band.

7. Masa

This is a Nigerian meal popular in the north. It is made mostly from rice/plantain flour and is eaten majorly with a soup Hausas called miyan taushe. I may not have tasted this but its reputation goes ahead of it and I can’t wait to try it.

8. Bread

African Queen in the building. Despite Nigeria’s rising inflation rate, bread is a constant in the lives of many Nigerians. Just like plantains, bread is a food of variety. Nigerians have a great combo with bread. We’d focus on a few. Bread and beans, or popularly, Bread and Ewa agoyin, Iya Silifa will always burst brains. A chilled bottle of coke has the deal sealed. Bread and Akara, I knew this as engine burger. Prepping for a night class or night reading, engine burger is a lifesaver.

9. Small Chops

Complete with hot Puff-Puff, Buns, Spring Rolls, Samosa, etc. The love of your life will thank you for this. Small chops are the pefect Nigerian cuisine combo. Late for work, trust me, if you check very well, there’s a puff-puff seller on your street. Always swaying the dough and throwing it in the hot oil. Nigerians love small chops so much that they made a movie out of them.

10. Abacha

Tapioca, or Abacha, is made from cassava. This dish is very popular in the eastern part of Nigeria. I am yet to try it, but one thing I am sure of is that every single food item prepared in the east is a hit, back-to-back.

There you have it, our top 10 Nigerian street food. You can pair any of them with any soft drink or Nigerian traditional drinks like Zobo. Which have you tried? Which would you like to try? Please let us know in the comment section. For us, over here, we wouldn’t mind adding tea and noodles from mashais.

A Drop of Honey For Your Day.

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CREDITS: All images were sourced from various accounts on Pinterest.