For months now there has been a renewed buzz for Nigerian food. Chefs all over the country are taking daunting steps and creating new recipes made with Nigerian ingredients. Gone are the days where garri(cassava flakes) was just made for eba or drank with water, sugar and milk. It's a whole new world for culinary exploration for us and I am loving every bit of it. I'm not sitting back either. The chefs alone cannot enjoy alone. I have started my own journey and for those with open minds, I encourage you to do same.
Few weeks ago, I stepped into Nigerian chef, Uzor Orimalade's garden and I was wowed. Uzor used to be in the corporate world; switching careers from management consulting to investment banking until she finally decided to pursue her passion for baking and cooking. She has not looked back ever since she set up her company Uzo's Food Labs, a small haven that has its own garden where she grows all sorts of vegetables in little pots. The chef who is very passionate about the concept from 'garden to table Nigeria' is a gardener experimenting with growing a wide range of vegetables and creating recipes from her harvests.
In Uzor's garden, one can find tomatoes, black truffle tomatoes, cherry bomb pepper, green bell, brussel sprouts, lemon cucumber, ginger and a lot of other Nigerian and foreign vegetables.
The female entrepreneur says combining Nigerian and foreign ingredients in preparing meals is the future of Nigerian food.
In Uzor's garden, one can find tomatoes, black truffle tomatoes, cherry bomb pepper, green bell, brussel sprouts, lemon cucumber, ginger and a lot of other Nigerian and foreign vegetables.
The female entrepreneur says combining Nigerian and foreign ingredients in preparing meals is the future of Nigerian food.
A culinary explosion of Nigerian food helped by some Nigerian chefs is making traditional recipes more attractive for residents in the country. This new wave of innovative food is being referred to as the new Nigerian kitchen.
"The new Nigerian kitchen that we see a lot of now that is championed by someone that I really really like, Ozoz, integrates other elements from other cuisines into our Nigerian food so by having a garden like this with things like basal and lime basal and the foreign egg plant, we can integrate that into Nigerian food and it will be seamless and I think that's actually the key to opening Nigerian food up to the international pallet, a lot of the problem I think has been the presentation of Nigerian food and the 'conkness' which isn't necessarily bad but let's face it, you need to water things down or make Nigerian food a little more acceptable to the pallets of the foreigners and by doing that you can just integrate some things that they are familiar with and then it almost seems like it now goes from Nigerian food to world cuisine," Uzor said.
Groundbreaking chef, Ozoz Sokoh is on a quest to find the soul of Nigerian food which could provide inspiration for future food inventions from the West African country. Based in Nigeria's commercial capital, Ozoz has over the years grown to become known for transforming Nigerian meals into delightful culinary adventures. From her home in Lagos, Ozoz is one of the many chefs without a restaurant that is reshaping Nigerian food with creative cuisines.
Ozoz says she hopes the new Nigerian kitchen inspires a desired change in Nigeria's food industry.
"I hope that it changes what Nigerians at home eat. I hope that it also influences what is served in Nigerian restaurants at home and abroad and I think more importantly is I hope that it inspires and creates a generation of small and medium entrepreneurs who create products that are exportable, that are shelf stable products that can be you know, that can be used in restaurants that can be sold at home and abroad," the Nigerian chef who fell in love with food at a young age said.
I tasted Ozoz's agbalumo juice and gosh..... it tasted so divine. Never in my wildest imagination did I think it would turn out like that. Thanks to Ozoz for being so patient with the team.
"The new Nigerian kitchen that we see a lot of now that is championed by someone that I really really like, Ozoz, integrates other elements from other cuisines into our Nigerian food so by having a garden like this with things like basal and lime basal and the foreign egg plant, we can integrate that into Nigerian food and it will be seamless and I think that's actually the key to opening Nigerian food up to the international pallet, a lot of the problem I think has been the presentation of Nigerian food and the 'conkness' which isn't necessarily bad but let's face it, you need to water things down or make Nigerian food a little more acceptable to the pallets of the foreigners and by doing that you can just integrate some things that they are familiar with and then it almost seems like it now goes from Nigerian food to world cuisine," Uzor said.
Groundbreaking chef, Ozoz Sokoh is on a quest to find the soul of Nigerian food which could provide inspiration for future food inventions from the West African country. Based in Nigeria's commercial capital, Ozoz has over the years grown to become known for transforming Nigerian meals into delightful culinary adventures. From her home in Lagos, Ozoz is one of the many chefs without a restaurant that is reshaping Nigerian food with creative cuisines.
Ozoz says she hopes the new Nigerian kitchen inspires a desired change in Nigeria's food industry.
"I hope that it changes what Nigerians at home eat. I hope that it also influences what is served in Nigerian restaurants at home and abroad and I think more importantly is I hope that it inspires and creates a generation of small and medium entrepreneurs who create products that are exportable, that are shelf stable products that can be you know, that can be used in restaurants that can be sold at home and abroad," the Nigerian chef who fell in love with food at a young age said.
I tasted Ozoz's agbalumo juice and gosh..... it tasted so divine. Never in my wildest imagination did I think it would turn out like that. Thanks to Ozoz for being so patient with the team.
Companies are keying in too. Nigerians were treated to gastronomic delights at a recent food and drink fair held by Guaranty Trust bank. The 2-day event was designed to showcase Nigeria's emerging food industry and had notable chefs hosting culinary classes to hundreds of participants from all over the country. The chefs demonstrated to food enthusiasts how to prepare modern twists to Nigerian cuisine and were allowed to satisfy their taste buds after each class.
The organizers hope that this kick-starts the beginning of a revival in Nigeria's food industry.
The organizers hope that this kick-starts the beginning of a revival in Nigeria's food industry.
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| Ozoz teaching participants how to make different food and drinks with pawpaw |
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| Ozoz(right) |
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