Delicious, nutritious yam is revered by Nigerians worldwide in festivals and cultural rites. But its legacy is evolving; today's Nigerian chefs are cooking it in brand new ways. Across Nigeria and its global diaspora, one crop reigns supreme: the yam.
Resembling logs with their cylindrical shape and thick bark-like skins, yams have fuelled Nigerian and wider West African communities for millennia. However, the humble yam is far more than just a nutritional source. Revered at New Yam festivals, central to ancient oral storytelling traditions and a key component of many cultural rites, yam is not only integral to local cuisine; it weaves together the vibrant and intricate tapestry of the country's cultural identity.
But yam's legacy is evolving; today's Nigerian chefs worldwide are honouring the root vegetable with traditional and experimental approaches alike. "Yam really is the king of crops!" said chef Tolu Erogbogbo , when I asked him about his childhood memories of the starchy, ivory-fleshed tuber. Christened with the playful moniker "the billionaire's chef" due to his clientele of prominent international figures (including the likes of Emmanuel Macron and Lauryn Hill ), Erogbogbo has founded contemporary West African eateries across Nigeria and Los Angeles, but he has never forgotten the familiar, delicious comfort of yam, or its important symbolism.
"On Sundays we'd always have egg sauce, served with lovely soft yam," he said, recalling the beloved Nigerian breakfast whe.