My Native Tongue



Photo: Smoked Turkey "Efo" Stew by AvartsyCooking



Food.

Growing up I hated everything about preparing it.

The long hours, the distinctly un-American smells, the clean-up.... Ohhhhh, the clean-up.

But, it was always nourishing.

And still,

something about the smell of joloff, the texture of puff puff, the ooze of okra, the grit of egusi, the kick of pepper stew....brings me back to the cradle.

The "cradle" is where I've found comfort this past year with the deaths of two close family members from my native land. As I've dealt with the emptiness of their loss, I've found myself inquiring more and more about how to make this cuisine I had such a difficult time preparing in my youth.

It's strange.

This food was not just a transport to a "cradle" but a connection to my "mother": Nigeria. To be honest with you, each time a close family member or friend of Nigerian descent passes away,  I feel the ocean that separates me from my "mother" getting wider and wider.

But that smell...

And the process...

And the presentation...

Then the delectable consumption...

Finally, the complete satisfaction...

Remind me that I'm never too far away.

Sometime after my aunt passed away, I found myself aimlessly wandering around the Internet for Nigerian recipes.  When I came across one particular site, never had I felt so proud of the food that sustained me from birth until my final year in high school (I did a lot of exploration of the American cuisine once I got to college.) Suddenly, I remembered all the parties, weddings, church gatherings, and house visitations that made me fall in love with the final product. It was the process I despised because of my American sensibilities. But reading about the process, along with viewing pictures of the BEST kind of results gave me a revelation:

What I witnessed in the kitchen of my mother and the party halls of many celebrant aunties was an ART FORM.

An art form that I plan to continue learning the secrets of and master.

(My sister's already started, so I've got some catching up to do:)

In the meantime, see if you can beat me to it by checking out this fabulous blog by AvartsyCooking. I'm telling you you'll RUN OUT OF PAPER printing those recipes!