Culture is directly related to human experiences. It forms people’s everyday life, their views, lifestyles, basic assumptions, their perceptions. Above all, culture shapes our individual relationships. Nigeria is inhabited by various ethnic nationalities; these nationalities have different languages, modes of dressing, eating, dancing and even greeting habits. But in spite of these differences in cultures, these ethnic nationalities share some dominant traits in their belief systems and they also have similar values.
One of the areas where this similar value is evident is in food. The culinary tradition of northern Nigeria is largely unknown. While exploring the food culture of northern Nigeria, I discovered that northern cuisine shares a number of similarities with that of other ethnic groups. In order to throw more light on these culinary similarities, we will be discussing a popular Kaduna State delicacy on our food history segment today.
Kaduna, located in northern Nigeria, allegedly derives its name from the Gbagyi word, odna which means river. The state covers an area of 44,408.3 square kilometers. Two major weather systems regulate Kaduna’s climate. They are the Sahara high pressure system and the Atlantic low-pressure system. Kaduna is an industrial base in Northern Nigeria. Islam and Christianity are widely practiced in the state. There are twenty three local government areas in Kaduna State.
On our food history segment today is Miyan kubewa or Miyan busheshen kubewa, a soup that is widely enjoyed in Kaduna. Miyan kubewa is the northern version of okro soup. It can be prepared with fresh or dried okro, and with or without vegetables . The soup has a rich flavour and is heartwarmingly delicious. Such vegetable as uziza leaf or bitter leaf can be used in making this soup.
Miyan kubewa is best prepared with assorted meat. Other ingredients for making this soup are dry fish, palm oil, fresh pepper, crayfish, locust beans, ginger, seasoning cubes and salt. These ingredients can be easily procured from the local markets within the country. Miyan kubewa can be enjoyed with tuwo shinkafa or any swallow of your choice.
References
Gabriel E. Idang, “African Culture and Values,” UNISA, Vol. 16, Number 2, 2015, 99-100, http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/phronimon/v16n2/06.pdf
Y.A. Bununu, A.N.M. Ludin and Nafisa Hosni, “City profile: Kaduna,” Research Gate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280614102
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