The documentation of African and Nigerian cuisine is nowhere as extensive and in-depth as its Western and Eastern counterparts. However, there’s no denying that the continent’s food has influenced world cuisines as seen in the Caribbeans and Latin America.

With the new wave of culinary experts and food lovers working hard to document and experiment with Nigerian comes the rise of a new genre - fusion Nigerian food. To understand how this works, it’s essential to understand the fundamentals of fusion cooking.

Fusion cooking combines elements and techniques from different cultures to create new or hybrid recipes. To many Nigerians, fusion cuisine simply refers to a staple meal “that studied abroad”, “Agege bread that studied abroad” “rice that studied abroad”, and so on. While this is a rather apt description, it goes deeper than that.

Although experiments like Victor Okunowo’s ambitious Amala Agnolotti Pasta stuffed with Egusi and prawns might come to mind, fusion food also requires a balance of textures and flavours that aren’t necessarily disruptive in nature.

Nigerian fusion food represents the embrace of our traditional dishes and flavours, both by people at home and in the diaspora. It’s transitioning from giving local dishes pretentious anglicised names to reclaiming and redefining them on Nigerian terms.

For the Nigerian diaspora, fusion meals emerged from adapting Nigerian cuisine to suit the scarcity of authentic local ingredients abroad. Substituting ingredients gave rise to a blend of meals rooted in their ethnic and resident backgrounds. 

For Tobi Smith, co-founding his boutique catering company, TwoThirtyFour Kitchen, stemmed from a need to marry the wealth of different cultures he had experienced in one plate.

“During the process of scaling my business, I asked myself questions like, “how can I translate all the cultures I have experienced - Vietnamese, Thai, etc and fuse them into Nigerian cuisine? I shouldn’t have to visit two countries or restaurants to enjoy, say Chinese and Nigerian food on one plate”, he explained. 

Nigerian cuisine is carb-rich with staples such as yam, rice and cassava. These staples are often consumed with protein and vegetable-rich stews and soups, accompanied by a variety of spices, peppers and seasoning. The ingredients and methods of preparations create flavour profiles ranging from salty, bitter to umami. 

What About Dessert?

In spite of the abundance of sweet finger foods and flavour-filled cream drinks, dessert within the Nigerian context requires more exploring. From puff puff-laden small chop platters to kunu; there’s no limit to the potential dessert creations to be discovered from local snacks.

In light of this, Nigerian chefs like Chef Eros, Afro Lems and others have made considerable progress in this department. At Itan Test Kitchen, Michelin Restaurant-Trained pastry chef, Adun Williams is responsible for creations like the Northern-Nigeria inspired Dala, a Chocolate Peanut Pyramid Mousse, Dawadawa Cake.

Afrolems is also on a special mission to transform puff-puff into a staple dessert with her novel experiments, with creations such as rum and raisin.

With creations like Kitchen Butterfly’s agbalumo icecream and the Zobo Sorbet at Hans and Rene, Nigerian fusion has evolved beyond including a new twist on local dishes. Now, fusion meals have transcended to incorporating local flavours into classics. Either way, recipes like this are here to stay and are soon to become essential staples in Nigeria’s gastronomy.