Nsukka is a zone in Igboland, the Igbos are notable for their food collection but wait until you have a taste of some local Nsukka food. My experience with Nsukka food was as a student at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. As someone born and raised in Ibadan in Western Nigeria, it was very interesting the first time I ate some Nsukka cuisine. Even after years of graduating, and leaving Nsukka, my taste buds still feel nostalgic anytime I remember the delicacies I used to enjoy in Nsukka.

I fell in love with local Nsukka food and I even started believing that Nsukka has the best food collection in Nigeria. Now let’s take a look at some of these Nsukka foods that have refused to leave my memory even after so much time. I really desire to have a taste of them again.

• Okpa: Nsukka Okpa is often praised as the best Okpa in the whole of Nigeria. Okpa is one of the most popular foods in Igboland but almost everyone believes that Nsukka okpa is among the best Okpa in Igboland. It has this great amazing taste especially when eaten hot. Those days in Nsukka, we would come out of our hostel waiting for the woman selling okpa to pass by. Sometimes I would buy the okpa and take it back to my room where I enjoyed it with akamu (pap).

Okpa remains my favorite local Nsukka food for breakfast. Sometimes I enjoyed okpa with coke drink. It is such an amazing combination. Since leaving Nsukka, I have had opportunities to eat okpa in other places but none came close to the kind of deliciousness in okpa Nsukka. Of all the Okpa that I have eaten across the country, Nsukka Okpa remains the most amazing to me up to this moment.

• Achicha Ede: Achicha ede is an amazing Igbo food. It is very popular in Nsukka. I don’t know how to describe the deliciousness of achicha ede. It is a very amazing food. It is prepared with dried ede. I learned the ede is dried for weeks before using it to prepare the achicha food cuisine. It is an amazing food to try. Whenever you are in Nsukka, having a taste of achicha ede would be an amazing experience. Trust me on that when I say the achicha ede is an amazing food.
• Njapa and Ohoyi: This local Nsukka food combination is so interesting. I first had a taste of Njapa during a weekend when I accompanied one of my friends to his village in Enugu Ezike. I learned letter that Njapa and Ohoyi is a very popular food in Enugu Ezike. Njapa is made of cassava. It almost feels like fufu or eba but a lot different. the texture is different. Njapa feels like a hybrid between fufu and eba. Ohoyi is the name of the soup that njapa is consumed with. Njapa is also called Aribo among the Nsukka people.

Ohoyi is prepared with either fresh okro or dried okro with ogbono and some vegetables. Ohoyi is almost like draw soup but the way it tastes in Enugu Ezike is unlike anything I have seen before. Maybe because the okpei Nsukka was used in preparing the soup. I visited my friend’s family a couple more times before leaving Nsukka and each time we went visiting we asked that Njapa and Ohoyi be prepared in advance. My friend figured I loved the food and always ensured it was always available whenever we went visiting.

• Otipiri: This is one of the local Nsukka food that is very interesting. It is an unforgettable meal during my time in Nsukka. Otipiri is made with maize, beans, vegetables, and other condiments. To me, Otipiri seems to be one of the most healthy meals I have ever eaten. It is very delicious. I prefer it when it is made with a slight addition of onugbu. Onugbu is the Igbo name for bitter leaf. A lot of other ingredients are used to make this food.

Apart from the food, other interesting experiences in Nsukka

Apart from these foods, I also enjoyed Nsukka palm wine during my time in Nsukka. It is another experience that made my university days unforgettable. The people are also friendly and welcoming. Just like other Igbo people, Nsukka people are also passionate about their business.

Conclusion

It does feel like to know a people you have to know their food. Because eventually, people are what they eat. My experience in Nsukka regarding their food is one that I can’t forget in a hurry. I anticipate that once I am a bit free from work, I will visit Nsukka again partly for the food and also because I have missed the feel of the University of Nigeria Nsuka.

Apart from the local Nsukka food that I discussed, Nsukka has several other interesting things to experience with several festivals. It is an interesting place with a rich culture, delicious food and great people. Apart from the foods I discussed, there are several other local Nsukka foods but the ones above are those that have refused to leave my memory. I crave to eat them again and hopefully, it will happen in the future.

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