What it is
A dark brown swallow made by stirring yam flour into boiling water until smooth. The colour comes from the drying and roasting of the yam before it is milled, not from any added ingredient. A pale variant, amala lafun, is made from cassava flour.
Key ingredients
- Yam flour (elubo)
- Water
A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.
How it is eaten
Pinched with the fingers and dipped into a combination of gbegiri bean soup, ewedu and stew, a pairing known as abula.
Cultural significance
Amala is strongly associated with the Yoruba, and particularly with Ibadan and the Oyo area, where amala joints serving it with gbegiri and ewedu are institutions in their own right. Because it is made from flour rather than fresh tubers it keeps well and cooks in minutes, which made it the practical everyday swallow in towns. Its dark colour surprises visitors; among Yoruba diners it is a mark of quality when it is smooth and stretches cleanly.
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