What makes “ofe onugbu” tick!

If you see an Anambra man eating bitter leaf soup, you will think that either his life depends on it or he has a high school or college degree exam to take on it. I guess that was why I was threatened the other day to have my plates “after eating view shared to the whole world.” Not until I noticed that such sharing may amount to exposing the fact that I may be under a spell that I could lick the plate to the extent that the “made in China” inscription could no longer be found.

‘Ofe onugbu’ known as bitter leaf soup is a delicacy of the Anambras and has come to stay in the land of the Igbos and in the greater Nigerian culinary journey. You will see her in most restaurant menu smiling as if she could tell whether she was original or china made.  Essentially, the soup is made by boiling meat and then thickening same and the only slight difference with “oha” is just in the vegetable. The bitter leaf vegetable has also been seen recently loitering around in people’s soup pots that are not “onugbu” soup. A typical case reported recently was in the egusi soup Osuofia’s wife cooked. I guess people are attracted to the leaf given that its processing, prior to initiation into fire, is such that the soup does not grow old as fast as the other fresh vegetables do. You can try making two pots of egusi, one with ugu leaves and the other with onugbu leaves and compare same. Better still, if you are not a research student and hence not able to carry out the full experiment, you are free to invite me for the tasting and for other advices on preservation to be sure we are comparing an apple with an apple.

And back to original versus china made onugbu soup, you can tell if it is china made by the looks just like the saying “Ana eji anya ama oka kara aka” but that skill may be for those who are initiated not necessarily Anambrarians. If you are able to do this then you are “nwa afo” as my people will say and at a higher level among the fans. On a lower level, you may be able to decipher the difference in the taste by which time you must have paid or made a final choice. And if you do not know the difference whether by sight or taste then you have no business being in this club of onugbu soup fans for if you are, you would put more efforts in knowing a little bit more about her!

For me any “onugbu” soup with “achi” as a thickener is “china” made, pure and simple. Such is normally for mass production in some non initiated restaurants. With the extra requirement in pounding cocoyam for the real thing, fake people have adopted the easier way by using non recommended substances with no NAFDAC number! You can make your own independent inquiry from any one from Anambra, the original “onugbu” soup is made with cocoyam as the base thickener and nothing more. The aroma, noise and sweat which go with the pounding of that cocoyam in its fellowship with the “mmiri akwu” completes its traditional setting as the champion of the Anambra man’s delicacy.  And “mmiri akwu” must be used and not palm oil if you are expecting the original thing!

Onugbu soup is so popular in Anambra you will find it served in most burial ceremonies and parties. It is so traditional I heard in the past of how the leaves were divided amongst siblings in place of the hard to come-by meat. Then for obvious reasons the leaves were not mashed into small pieces since the large chunks gave a resemblance of meat.

Another trick in detecting fake onugbu soup is in the taste. Any onugbu soup without “ogiri” means it is fake, pure and simple. And believe me, this is coming from the horse’s mouth! If you like go and ask the “Nri” chief where the Igbo’s are said to have come from. And when I say “ogiri” I do not mean all these rubbish I recently heard they wrap in aluminium foils. That one is a topic for another day but just know that if you have been making your “onugbu soup” with “ogiri” from aluminium foil, brother, sister, if you like go and ask Brother Mugabe you have been eating fake “onugbu soup.”

I have not said that there is anything wrong with eating fake stuff so do not get me wrong. I only wish we all know what we are eating, that’s all.

I will concede in this last one since it does not relate directly with her majesty and that is in the choice of the swallow that should go with Onugbu soup. I am not particularly a fan of fufu, but if that is your choice, I will not blame or judge you just as apostle Paul said. I will rather go with Garri, pounded yam or any other swallow that brings out the beauty in this lovely lady.

Obidike Peter wrote from www.peterobidike.com and p_obidike@yahoo.com

Monday 2nd April 2018