Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria
SynopsisPlot
In Nigeria, the word “chop” is all about food and feasting and “chop chop” a nickname given to someone who loves to eat. And it's no surprise Nigeria has an entire vocabulary dedicated to eating—with more than 50 nationally recognized languages and over 250 ethnicities, Nigeria's food is as rich and diverse as its people.This book reflects the foodways’ incredibly flavorful complexity, ingredients, and recipes from all six regions, gathered and showcased in a highly photographic cookbook. In Chop Chop, author, culinary anthropologist, and Nigerian native Ozoz Sokoh celebrates classic and traditional Nigerian cuisine to underscore the ingredients, flavors, and textures that make it not only beloved, but delicious and easy for the home cook.
Story
About this book
The word chop, in Nigerian usage, points to eating and feasting, and chop chop names a person who loves food. Ozoz Sokoh, a culinary anthropologist and Nigerian native, takes that phrase as her title for a collection of about 100 recipes drawn from everyday home cooking. It is framed as an introduction to classic Nigerian home cooking rather than a specialist survey.
Nigeria counts more than 250 ethnicities and over 50 nationally recognized languages, and that variety shapes its cooking. Sokoh gathers ingredients and recipes from all six regions of the country, so dishes appear alongside one another rather than under a single regional label. Foodways, the customs around growing, preparing and sharing meals, run through the book.
The book is highly photographic, setting recipe instructions beside images of finished dishes and raw ingredients. Sokoh's attention falls on flavors and textures, and on making familiar classics workable for a cook at home. She describes herself as a food explorer, interested in why these dishes are widely loved as well as how they are made.
