Fufu

A smooth, stretchy swallow made from fermented cassava that has been soaked, pounded or milled into a soft, elastic dough. It is white, mildly sour from fermentation, and has almost no flavour of its own, so it is always eaten with a heavily seasoned soup.

Eaten with the fingers of the right hand, a small portion is pinched off, rolled and used to scoop up soup without chewing the fufu itself. It is served hot alongside soups such as onugbu (bitter leaf), egusi or oha, and is common at both ordinary weekday meals and larger family gatherings.

Fufu is one of the most widespread swallows in southern and eastern Nigeria, eaten daily across many households regardless of ethnicity. It is closely associated with Igbo cuisine, where the fermented, pounded version (akpu) is a staple, but similar cassava swallows exist under different names among many other groups. It appears at everyday family meals as much as at gatherings, and the fermentation process itself is a long-standing domestic practice passed down through generations.