The first time I saw this food in a restaurant when my friend ordered it, I was like " what kind of thing are you eating? " the face looks different from my normal kind of food growing from another part of the country (Lagos), I even asked if it would that even go well in my friend's mouth, she asked me to try but I refused. Another time, my landlord's wife (in your) prepared it, I saw how she was doing it but still I couldn't eat it, cos of how it looks like in my eyes.
When I finally tried it, the song "just like heaven, heaven on earth " was what registered on my head, it was really De-eliCIOUS. And I enjoyed every bit, like every bit of it, I even got extra plate 😀😀😀😀
After some time, I went for a waiter job (boys gotta look for money), twas a get together party of BAR and folks from different parts of the country were present. At my station point, one Hausa man ( I know this cos of his dressing) asked what that is (ekpang) I told him, and with a big smile said "try it, you'll enjoy it".
Brief about Ekpang.
Ekpan Nkukwo is a native dish in Akwa-Ibom. It’s been said that one of the main aspect of a culture is food. Whatever type of meal it is, the raw state, the method used to prepare it, the type of occasion where it is served and how it is served all define the cultural relevance of such a meal.
Nigerian cuisine is as diverse as its
people. Each region has its specialty
meals which they are known for. Akwa-Ibom state of Nigeria which lies in the southernmost part of the country has her traditional diet predominantly made of vegetables, seafoods and meat.
Ekpang Nkukwo (cocoyam porridge), a traditional delicacy of the Efiks and Ibibios. The Ijebu’s prepare something similar called “Ifokore”. The methods of
preparation are almost similar with a slight distinction in the way the Efik Ibibios make the meal using “Nkukwo leaves” which is the leaves from the cocoyam plant. Ekpang Nkukwo is made with cocoyam as the main ingredient and a little water yam added to the cocoyam. It requires other ingredients like crayfish, fish, palm oil and periwinkle to give it it’s distinctive taste.
Happy new year steemers.
More exciting news on steemit as steem increases in 2018. Best news yet for a promising steamer like me.
