If you have been following yummy medley for a while, and have managed to escape a trip to your African market, this Afang soup recipe is going to push you to go there, and trust me, this dish is worth the trip. Get on google and look up “African grocery stores near me”, and get ready to take a trip to flavortown. For Africans already familiar with African grocery stores, or for those who live in the great continent already, this for you should be a simple trip for you. Let me introduce you to my delicious Afang Soup recipe, a leafy vegetable soup commonly associated with Calabar city in Nigeria but with cultural and family roots in the Ibibio and Efik tribes of the riverine areas of the country. These two tribes, which inhabit the Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states in Southern Nigeria feature this soup quite heavily in their cuisine and celebrations but to my knowledge, there are no major differences in their method of preparation.
A little background story about my food history, my mother is from a state in Nigeria called Akwa-Ibom, and the stereotype of women from this state is that they cook the best food in Nigeria. I might be a little biased, but as a half Ibibio (a tribe in Akwa-Ibom state) half Esan (a tribe in Edo state) girl that lived in Lagos with family members from different parts of the country (trust me, my family is quite the diverse group), I can say with full confidence that this stereotype is more likely a fact. My mom and her four sisters, my late grandmother, and pretty much any one from my mother’s side of the family that cooked for us growing up always had the best food. Nothing beats the delicious soups and stews that came from my mom’s side of the family. I remember my disappointment at tasting non-Akwa-Ibom pepper soup, I knew from then on that I was brought up with taste privilege.
Afang soup is one of the delicious dishes to come from my mother’s side of the family. I have since learnt that this is a dish cooked by some Cameroonians as well, as some parts of Cameroon share a border with Akwa Ibom state. There are other dishes that Cameroonians and Cross River/ Akwa-Ibom people share as well, and I will talk about those eventually.
What is Afang Leaf?
Afang leaf also called Eru in Cameroon and Okazi in other parts of Nigeria is a flavorful green leafy vegetable Gnetum africanum, that is commonly grown in West Africa and used in making different soups and stews. Afang is one of the most common leafy vegetables in Nigeria and is also found predominant in Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Angola.
Afang soup, made by the Efik and Ibibio people that live mostly in the coastal states of Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom (2 neighboring states out of the six Southern states that constitute the natively nicknamed ‘South South’ regions of Nigeria) is a stew made with Afang leaves and another common green leafy vegetable natively called waterleaf. Afang soup is quite the staple in the coastal cities of South Nigeria and is heavily featured in ceremonies and festivals of the Ibibio, Efik and other residents of the ‘South South’, including weddings, christening of newborn babies or even at funerals. Because Cross River and Akwa-Ibom states are riverine, most stews and soups originating from these states are made with some type of seafood and might include a variety of assorted meats, as featured in this recipe.
