Palm nut soup or banga is a soup made from palm fruit[1][2] common in the Cameroonian, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivorian communities. The soup is made from a palm cream or palm nut base with stewed marinated meats, smoked dried fish, and aromatics. It is often eaten with starch, fufu, omotuo, banku, fonio, or rice. The use of the palm fruit in cooking is significant in Ivorian, Cameronian, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Liberian and other West and Central African cuisine.
By region
Cameroon
Mbanga soup is a palm fruit soup in Cameroonian cuisine[3][4] and West African cuisine.[5] It is often served with kwacoco. The soup is Cameroon's version of the West African banga, a palm fruit soup eaten in areas including parts of Nigeria. In Cameroon mbanga is made using fresh palm nuts. Outside the area canned nuts can be used.[6]
Nigeria
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Banga is a type of palm fruit soup from Southern (the Niger Delta) Nigeria, particularly the urhobo ethnic group.[7] This cuisine is quite different from ofe akwu, a variant found in Igbo culture. The Binis have a soup from palm fruits similar to ofe akwu" in ingredients and manner of preparation.[8][9] The Urhobo people palm nut soup is called Ame adi.[10]
In Nigeria, the delicacy is used to accompany other dishes such as Starch (Usi) for the urhobo people of Delta State, Nigeria. The Igbo people have the stew and soup varieties made from palm fruits. Ofe akwu is the stew variety usually eaten with rice while the palm fruit extract is used especially in Anambra state to prepare Oha and Onugbu soup accompanied with moulding foods (popularly known as 'swallow') e.g. pounded cassava (utara/akpu), corn/cassava flour (nni oka).
The palm fruit is often harvested from locally grown palm fruit trees, after which it is thoroughly washed, boiled and mashed for the extraction of its oil, the main ingredient in the preparation of the Banga soup.
Banga soup is flavored with beletete, aidan fruit, rohojie, Banga spice leaves called Obenetietien (scent or bitter leaves can be substituted), a stick of oburunbebe, finely chopped onion, ground crayfish, chili pepper or scotch bonnet, and salt.[11] The soup is eaten with Starch made with Cassava Starch and palm-oil or rice in the south south or south eastern parts of Nigeria . Banga Soup is mostly prepared using fresh catfish (fresh fish Banga soup) dried/smoked fish or meat.
The soup can also make a delicious dish with the addition of Okra vegetable.[12]
Ame adi, also known as banga soup, is a soup eaten by the urhobo people of Southern Nigeria. It is made by extracting the liquid of palm kernels. [13][14][15] Thereafter, other ingredients like crayfish, meat, fish, pepper and cow tripe are added. It is eaten with eba or usi (starch). (Elaeis guineensis) extract.[16]
Gallery
Palm nut soup with fish
Palm nut soup
Akan Ghanaian palm nut soup
Palm nut soup close up
Palm nut soup
Fufu with palm nut soup, snail and tilapia
See also
References
External links
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