- The inflation battling the country’s economy has had an impact on the diet of average Nigerians
- This has driven some Nigerians into finding alternatives for their basic staples.
- This article explores five ways Nigerians are adapting to the economy by finding replacements for some food items
Nigeria has been struggling with inflation in recent times which has affected the prices of food, commodities and services.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), the country’s inflation rate rose to 33.69% in April 2024.
This has impacted Nigerians' daily lives, as the prices of staple foods such as rice, bread, tomatoes, cooking oil, and others have nearly tripled.
Despite these challenges, some Nigerians seem to have found a way to adjust and adapt by exploring alternative food options.
5 food alternatives Nigerians have been exploring
Here are some of the ways Nigerians have replaced some staples in their diet.
- Cucumber stew
The high cost of tomatoes has driven some Nigerians to look for an alternative in their stews. A small basket of tomatoes cost about N15,000 and four small pieces of tomatoes cost N500, so an alternative seems inevitable. One of such alternatives is Cucumber. To incorporate cucumber into your stew, simply remove the seeds, dice the cucumber and blend till smooth. You can then fry along with your scotch bonnet pepper (rodo) and onions for your stew.
- Plantain moimoi
Another staple food which has greatly increased in price is beans. Beans, which was once sold for N1500 per kongo, is now sold for N3500. One delicacy which is derived from beans is Moimoi (bean pudding). The high cost of beans has driven some Nigerians to replace beans with plantain. Although this recipe is native to the people of Edo and is called Emieki, some people have started to use this in place of the usual bean moimoi.
- Pawpaw stew
Another alternative for tomatoes is using pawpaw to make stew. The pawpaw is peeled, the seeds removed, then the pawpaw is diced and blended till smooth. It is then fried along with pepper and onions to make stew and a few Nigerians have attested to its delicious taste.
- Carrot Stew
Another delicious way Nigerians have replaced tomatoes in stews is by using carrot. Simply wash your carrots, cut into small chunks, blend and fry along with pepper and onions.
- Unripe Plantain Fufu
Another adaptation technique which has been adopted by some Nigerians is using unripe plantain to make fufu or Amala. While you can blend it raw and cook, some people slice, sun dry the plantain, and blend into flour before cooking.
Although some of these alternatives were derived because of inflation, it might be here to stay.