Igbo Food: 25 Most Commonly Consumed Igbo Food

The Igbo people of Nigeria are known for numerous traditional food. Igbo no doubt is home to many popular Nigerian cuisines as most of the foods Nigeria is known for has its origin from Igbo land.

Below Are 25 Most Commonly Consumed Igbo Food

1. Utara na Ofe:

Utara na ofe, Commonly known as Swallow and soup is the most popular and commonly consumed Igbo food. Utara, also called Nri Onuno, can either be Akpu(fufu) Utara Ji or Nri Ji(Pounded Yam) Nni Ede (Pounded Cocoyam) or any form of swallow like, Garri, corn swallow(Nni Oka) Semo or Guinea corn swallow. Utara can be eaten with different kinds of Igbo soup ranging from Oha, Egusi and others.. Click so see Top 10 popular Igbo Soups or List of All Igbo soups. 

2. Ji:

Ji(Yam) is one of the most consumed and the most Important food among the Igbos. Ji is cooked and eaten in so many ways but the most common way the Igbos eat their ji is by preparing it with vegetable. the process is called Igwo Ji or Ibio Ji and the vegetable Yam is called Ji Agworo Agwo, Other Ways the Igbo Eat their yam includes: Ji Ahrur Ahu, Ji Olulu/Orulu Ji Abubo, ji Mmanu.

3. Osikapa:

Osikapa, popularly known as rice is one of the many food eaten by the Igbo, Osikapa can be prepared in many way but the most common is Osikapa Ocha na ofe (White rice and stew) Osikapa Agworoagwo (Jollof Rice) Osikapa na Agwa (Rice and Beans. For reasons that still beats my imagination osikapa is mostly and mainly eaten on a Sunday.

4. Abacha:

Abacha, also referred to as African salad is a traditional Enugu Igbo meal of eastern Nigeria, abacha which originated from Enugu is made from cassava. Abacha can be served as an appetizer or main meal, it is mostly used to welcome visitor before serving them the main meal. Abacha can be prepared in so many ways depending on the community you visit or the home you visited. No event happens in Enugu without Abacha in the menu. Abacha can be prepared in so many ways and it’s best served with fresh palm wine.

5. Okpa:

Okpa, also referred to as king’s meal or lion’s food is a popular Igbo dish of Eastern Nigeria which originated from Enugu. Okpa is made from bambara flour gotten from bambara nut.  okpa is very easy to prepare as few ingredients are required and it takes just about 45 to 50 minutes to cook. Okpa which is mostly wrapped in banana leaves or thin white nylon bags can be gotten anywhere in Enugu as vendors sells them in virtually all the joints and parks in the state. Okpa can best be eaten with. Coke, Pap, soaked garri or tea.

Also Read: Top seven most popular Enugu food

6. Nkwobi:

Nkwobi is a much loved delicacy in the eastern part of Nigeria, popular among the people of Enugu, Nkwobi comes in so many varieties as it can be prepared with cow meat, goat meat, stock fish or even chicken. The most popular of all nkwobi is Isi Ewu, (goat head) cow tail nkwobi, cow leg nkwobi or kpomo nkwobi. Nkwobi can be found virtually in every beer parlour in Nigeria, people mostly don’t prepare Nkwobi at home because it takes a lot of time so they prefer to buy from restaurants and local joints who cooks in large quantity, except in the case where they have many visitor. Nkwobi is best enjoyed with palm wine, beer or any other drink.

7. Ji Mmiri oku:

It is a traditional meal that is usually prepared for new moms, right after putting to bed(traditionally known as the Omugwo time). It is often loaded with hot pepper, which is said to help the new mom heal faster

8. Ukwa:

Ukwa is one of the popular foods eaten by the Igbo people. It is made from fresh breadfruit. The seeds are shelled, washed and cooked with crystal soda (akanwu) and water till it is soft enough for consumption. Ukwa can also be cooked with rice.

9. Achicha:

Achicha is one of the local food prepared by Enugu people, Achicha which is made of dry cocoyam can be prepared with  fresh akidi, or fio fio, achicha can also be prepared alone with just scent leaf. Achicha is loved by both people of Enugu state and visitor’s  and mostly prepared by the people of Awgu,  Nsukka and Ezeagu  of Enugu state.