Note: this is NOT what most Americans know as "yams".) boiled plain: White or yellow yams are peeled, sliced up, usually into pieces about 3 centimeters, and boiled in water with salt vegetable oil, palm oil, eggs, beans, soup,... fried: White or yellow yams are cut up into long thin squares and fried in vegetable oil or palm oil. usually by itself or as a side in a meal ojoj o: Water yams are cut up and fried in vegetable oil or palm oil. usually by itself or as a side in a meal asaro: White or yellow yams are peeled, sliced, and diced into small cubes, then cooked with ground tomatoes, peppers, sometimes meat, other spices, and comes out reddish in color. usually by itself ikokore: It is similar to asaro but made with a different type of yam called 'water yam' that is softer in texture, and when cooked, usually comes out more brownish in color. usually by itself iyan (pounded yam): The yams are peeled, and ground up on a mortar. Then this 'powder' is placed into boiling water until it has a thick smooth structure. Nowadays, you can bypass the grounding stage by buying the 'pounded yam flour', and putting this in boiling water to make something which is close enough for some people, but not for others. with soup amala: dish made from yams, but first, the yams are ground and dried to form a powder. This powder is then put into boiling water, and stirred/beaten until it has a thick smooth structure. The cooked product ends up being very dark brown in color. with soup
ogede (plaintain - those things that look like bigger bananas) dodo: sliced or diced plantains, fried in vegetable oil (some like them yellow, some like them brown) rice, beans, eggs, by itself... boli: plantains baked whole in the oven rice, beans, eggs, by itself... gari ('grain' made from the root of the cassava plant. This part is peeled, ground, soaked, sieved, and then dried out) dried: as is sprinkled over cooked beans with water: the gari soaked in water, sugar and/or milk sometimes added if desired as a snack, or alongside with beans. eba: the gari is put in boiling water and stirred/beat until it has a thick smooth texture. with soup.
funfun dish also made from the cassava plant. The plant is peeled, ground, , soaked sieved, then put under a heavy material to get all the moisture out of it, to form a powder. Then, the funfun is made from putting this powder in some boiling water, and stirring/beating it until it has a thick smooth texture. with soup.
maize (yellow corn) boiled: the corn is still on the cob, and boiled in water and salt
roasted: the corn is still on the cob, and it is roasted in the oven, or on a grill until it is brown adalu: the corn is off the cob, and boiled with beans usually covered with pepper soup
tuwo: the corn is ground into a powder, then put in boiling water and stirred/beat until it has a thick smooth texture. with soup. ogi: dish made from corn. The corn is ground and dried, and made into a powder. Then this powder is placed in boiling water, and cooked until it has a thin smooth structure. Nowadays, you may be able to bypass the grinding stage and buy powder than you can use to make ogi on a stove or a microwave. usually at breakfast time, by itself, or with beans, or with akara, or with moyin- moyin
aadun: the corn is ground, and mixed with ground red pepper. Then oil is added, and it is put in ewe (those green leaves that things can be cooked in) and cooked or baked. It ends up being very spicy (hot) in nature. as a snack kokoro: the corn is ground, then mixed with some ingredients, then rolled into long (about 30 cm) thin (about 1 cm) sticks and fried in vegetable oil. as a snack suya Pieces of meat are spiced up, and then baked over a grill on a stick with vegetables (like kabob, but it's usually much hotter) As a snack, or as the side to a meal. puff-puff snack made from deep frying a dough mixture into circular balls as a snack, sometimes dipped in sugar sausage rolls cooked sausage is rolled up in a pastry, and baked in the oven. as a snack meat pies seasoned meat, potatoes, and other vegetables and placed in a pastry, and the whole thing is baked. as a snack chin chin Some dough is kneaded, then rolled flat, then cut up into small squares, and fried in oil. as a snack scotch eggs a mixture of some ingredients are put together, and then hard-boiled eggs are rolled up into them, and the eggs are baked. as a snack groundnuts shelled peanuts (as called in America anyway) raw, or boiled in salt water, or roasted (eaten after the shells are removed of course) other nuts cashews, pecans, and others Here are descriptions of "Cola Nuts" and their symbolism (in the appropriate ethnic groups) as explained by a visitor:
Cola nuts: Some colanuts have two carpsels, some three, some four some five, and some six which is the highest number of carpsels they can have. Usually we use the one with four carpsels. It is the one with four carpsels that are most usable. They are used for both good and bad medicines. By introducing them to the child, we pray for the child not to use it negatively against anybody neither will anybody use it negatively against him.
Bitter cola: This has the same reason as the colanut above.
Obi is used to symbolizes long life in a marriage. It is wishing the couple a long life together. It is broken and passed around to all the well-wishers present for the ceremony. Everyone takes a small bite.

Here are some of the available drinks:

DRINK DESCRIPTION

water palm wine a drink made from the juices of palm trees minerals (soft drinks) also known elsewhere as 'pop', or 'soda'. fruit drinks pineapple juices, orange juices, etc. beer both local and imported, usually in bottles rather than cans wine both local and imported zobo As explained by a visitor - "Zobo is a red drink and it tastes like fruit punch. I guess that primarily Hausas drink it. They boil these leaves to make a concentrated flavored liquid, then add sugar...then they add some flavorings (of their choice), maybe strawberry or raspberry, vanilla or banana... Then they add more water to it, and make the finished product...Zobo!"