What it is
Unpolished locally grown rice from the Ogun State area, short and speckled, with a distinct earthy aroma that divides opinion on first encounter. It is served with ayamase, a green pepper stew cooked in bleached palm oil with assorted meat.
Key ingredients
- Unpolished Ofada rice
- Green bell and scotch bonnet peppers
- Bleached palm oil
- Locust bean (iru)
- Assorted meat, ponmo and boiled eggs
- Onions
A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.
How it is eaten
Served in leaf wrapping with ayamase stew spooned over, eaten with a spoon.
Cultural significance
Ofada takes its name from a town in Ogun State and stands for locally grown rice in general at a time when Nigeria imports a great deal of it. Serving it wrapped in banana or uma leaves is part of the presentation and adds to the aroma. It has moved from village food to a fixture on restaurant menus and at Lagos events, carrying some of the prestige of being deliberately, recognisably local.
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