Ofensala and Egusi Soup – My Igbo Taste

this photo is mine

Hello everyone, my name is Adaeze and as an Igbo girl that I am, I really love talking about our food. Today I just feel like sharing about two of my best soups, Ofensala and Egusi soup. I don’t know if everybody here have heard about them before but trust me, they are special in their own way.

Let me start with Ofensala. Some people call it white soup. This soup is very common among the Igbo people especially in Anambra and some other parts of Igbo land. What I love about Ofensala is that it is very light and it has this nice aroma that can make you forget your problems. It is not like other heavy soups because it is prepared without palm oil. That is why people call it white soup. The main things you use in making Ofensala is fresh fish, utazi leaf, yam for thickener, some spices like uziza seed and ehuru. When you taste it with fresh catfish, hmm, it is like heaven. The taste is different from any other soup and it is also very healthy because there is no oil inside. Most times people enjoy it with pounded yam or semo.

Now let me talk about Egusi soup. This one is very popular not just in Igbo land but almost all over Nigeria. In fact I can say it is one of the best soups we have. Egusi is made from melon seeds, you grind it and use it to cook. Some people fry the egusi before adding water and vegetable, while some boil it straight. Me, I like the one that is fried a little because it brings out the nice taste. Egusi soup is usually cooked with palm oil, vegetables like bitterleaf or ugu (pumpkin leaf), and meat or fish. I love it when they put stockfish and goat meat inside. The taste is something else. It is very rich and heavy so when you eat it with swallow like eba, you will be satisfied for long.

source

Both Ofensala and Egusi are part of our Igbo culture and they are not just food, they carry memories. Anytime I taste Ofensala, it reminds me of festive period at home because that is when they mostly prepare it. Egusi on the other hand is almost every week food because it is easy to make and everybody like it.

I don’t know if I describe it well but that is just my small way of sharing our Igbo taste here. I believe one day I will share pictures of the ones I cooked by myself, don't forget that I am a chef.

Thanks for reading my little talk as a newbie here on Hive, still trying to learn how to post good content. Hope you enjoyed reading!

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