Learn Nigeria before you go

10 phrases to learn

In Hausa (Harshen Hausa). Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.

At the table

• Wash your hands before eating. A bowl of water is often brought to the table, because many dishes are eaten by hand.
• Eat, and pass or take anything, with your right hand. Using the left hand is seen as rude.
• To eat a swallow such as pounded yam, pinch off a small piece with your right hand, roll it into a ball, make a dent with your thumb and scoop up some soup.
• Greet the elders first. In traditional homes older people are served first and start eating before the rest.
• In Igbo homes a guest may be welcomed with kola nuts, offered as a sign of goodwill. Accept a piece with thanks.
• Many people in the north are Muslim and may not serve alcohol or pork. During Ramadan, do not eat, drink or smoke in public in the daytime in mainly Muslim areas.

Local tips

Dishes to try

• Jollof rice: Rice cooked in one pot in a rich sauce of tomatoes, red peppers, onions and spices, often with thyme, curry powder and bay leaves, until every grain is orange-red. It is served at every party with fried chicken or beef, fried plantain and a little salad.
• Egusi soup (Ẹ̀gúsí): A thick, golden soup made with ground melon seeds, which cook into soft little curds, together with palm oil, peppers, leafy greens and meat or dried fish. It is one of the most popular soups in the country and is eaten with pounded yam or eba.
• Pounded yam (Iyán (Yoruba)): White yam boiled and then pounded in a large wooden mortar until it becomes a smooth, soft, stretchy dough. It is shaped into a ball and served with egusi, efo riro or okra soup.
• Amala with ewedu and gbegiri (Àmàlà): Amala is a smooth brown swallow made from dried yam flour. It is traditionally served with two soups side by side: green ewedu, made from jute leaves, and orange gbegiri, made from beans, often with a spicy stew and meat on top.
• Efo riro (Ẹ̀fọ́ rírò): A rich stew of leafy greens such as spinach or amaranth, cooked in palm oil with blended red peppers, onions, locust beans and often several kinds of meat and fish. It is eaten with pounded yam, amala or rice.
• Edikang ikong: A thick soup of fluted pumpkin leaves and waterleaf, cooked with palm oil, meat, dried fish and periwinkles. It takes a lot of greens and meat, so it is seen as a special-occasion dish for guests and celebrations.
• Suya (Tsire (Hausa)): Thin slices of beef, chicken or ram on skewers, rubbed with yaji, a hot spice mix made with ground peanuts, chilli and ginger, and grilled over an open fire. Street sellers serve it in the evening with sliced onions, tomatoes and extra spice.
• Kilishi: Very thin sheets of beef dried in the sun, coated with a paste of peanuts, onion and spices, dried again and quickly roasted over high heat. It is a kind of spicy jerky that keeps for months without spoiling.

Cities to see

• Abuja (capital): Aso Rock and the Presidential Complex, The National Mosque, Millennium Park.
• Lagos: Busy markets and heavy traffic, Nollywood films and Afrobeats music, The Lekki Conservation Centre.
• Kano: The ancient city walls and gates, The Kofar Mata dye pits, The Durbar horse festival.
• Ibadan: The University of Ibadan, Cocoa House, Nigeria's first skyscraper, Amala with ewedu and gbegiri.
• Port Harcourt: The oil and gas industry, Its old nickname, the Garden City, Pepper soup and seafood from the delta.
• Benin City: The Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin, Bronze casting on Igun Street, The Benin Bronzes.

Landmarks and the city map are on the Nigeria trip