Having something to it eat between meals can be great especially when they are sweet edibles that can sustain you for a while.
Plaintain chips, popcorn, sausage roll and more are some of the most popular food to snack on, but there are some unique local Nigerian snacks that are just as great–even better than them. So, I decided to rank these local snacks, from my least favourite to my favourite.
9) Kulikuli:
It is made from a mix of peanuts, spices, salt and ground pepper. Kulikuli is one of the most popular Nothern Nigerian snack and it is mostly eaten alone or with garri; it also used as an ingredient for suya and kilishi.
However, considering the fact that many local food merchants who make it are known to roll the paste between their unwashed bare hands in the process of making it, I get highly skeptical of the hygienic conditions of where it is made and would rather go without.
8) Cocoyam chips:
This is a poor substitute to plaintain, coconut and sweet potato chips because it is tasteless. It looks really good and smells nice too but it is simply tasteless; although, you can train your tatsebuds to love it eventually.
7) Coconut candy:
This snack is made with shreds of coconut and sugar, fried in oil. This sweet delicacy can be eaten alone, drank with garri, or dipped in honey–if you have a sweet tooth.
Unless you make it yourself, I’d advice you not to buy it anywhere else, except you buy it fresh off the fire, because most street coconut candies are congealed and disgusting; usually because the vendors refry old stock, trying to pawn it off on unassuming costumers.
6) Dankwa:
Also called tanfiri, this local snack is made from corn and groundnut paste. It usually has a slight spicy taste and a melt-in-your-mouth feel. But, one has to carefully select the vendor that sells this snack so you don’t end up buying a stale one that tastes like dust; that is something nobody should experience, trust me.
5) Roasted yam:
Roasted yam is great with a side dish of sauce, ponmo, fish, meat, chicken and other thing you want to throw in there. Roasted yam is bae.
4) Abacha (African Salad):
This is just a sublime meal. Yes, I know it’s more of a meal than a snack but it had to make this list because of its unique taste. Abacha can take some getting used to on the tastebuds but one gets hooked once it does, indulging more often than not. This Eastern Nigerian delicacy is made with shredded cassava, vegetables, onions, dried fish, ponmo and more.
3) Corn:
Roasted or boiled corn are a staple snack in Nigeria, when corn is in season. One can eat it with coconut to bring out the flavour. Although, eating too much corn can leave you feeling parched and in need of water.
2) Tiger nuts:
Both the fresh and dry ones are sweet edibles that have a chewy texture and creamy taste. Although the fresh Tiger nuts are seasonal, you can get the dry ones at almost anytime and the health benefits are really great.
Roasted plantain is one of the best things to snack on when you are on the move and just need something to fill you up before your next meal. It is a great substitute to gala and buns; it costs the same but is way healthier–it’s fresh and straight off the coal. One can eat it alone or with groundnut, palm oil, sauce and more.
Which of these is your favourite snack?
