Nigeria's growing taste for haute cuisine - most popular side dishes in restaurants

As more chefs begin to serve Nigerian food in expensive restaurants, Ijeoma Ndukwe asks if Nigerians will consider paying a lot for traditional dishes.
When the beef and liver on the grill hissed at the umbrella-covered booth, the smoke rose from the grill --
Traditional dishes called "suya" are being prepared for sale in a busy food market in Lagos.
Serving customers all night.
The speakers make music, while the huge metal bowl filled with rice dishes, Pepper snails, fish and meat is heated in the low flame of each stall.
This night market serves popular traditional Nigerian dishes in a relaxed and informal setting.
However, the food environment in Lagos is changing and the Nigerian market is introducing more and more complex and international spaces to provide creative adaptations of local dishes.
Nosa Oyegun and Folayemi Agusto, a food blog that specializes in cuisine. Drink. Lagos -
Frank comments to the city's restaurants say that with the influx of players trained in the art of cooking and the emergence of "celebrity" chefs with cult followers, upscale fusion foods are becoming more and more popular.
"You have a lot of people who are eating the Nigerian dishes you are familiar with and they will flip them over their heads.
"People prefer to take risks with Nigerian food, which has always been a taboo thing," Mr Oyegun said . ".
Agusto MS added that in the past two to three years, she has seen the food scene in Lagos flourish.
"I think the Internet helps spread the gospel of Nigerian food, or people are using it to do different things.
People share what they create through blogs and social media.
The world is more connected.
Chef Alex Oke believes Nigeria's current "culinary revival" is a step in the right direction for the industry.
Mr. Oke grew up in Nigeria until he was a teenager and moved to the United States, then to the United Kingdom, and finally to Canada, where he taught at Vancouver Pacific culinary arts college.
He returned to Nigeria in 2015, when he realized that his attitude was changing.
"On social media, I saw it a little sexy to be a chef in Nigeria.
In general, the society began to respect chefs more.
He has been trained in French cuisine, but he has tried Nigerian cuisine to blend it with European and Asian influences to create what he calls "mild Nigerian cuisine ". His pop-
The Up XO Boutique Bakery saw him produce traditional European pastries using local ingredients such as almonds instead of cashew nuts.
Common nuts in Nigeria
His "almond" croissants are very popular.
Ozoz Sokoh is also a fan of this fusion philosophy.
Amateur chefs who provide advice and catering for food fairs and events are called "kitchen butterflies "--
The name of her prolific blog provides a platform for her imaginative interpretation of Nigerian recipes.
She talked with relish about the benefits of preparing for France.
Pastry tarte tatin using typical Nigerian fruits such as mango and African White Star apples.
Soko MS will commit blasphemy fearlessly.
Throwing "nkwobi "(a cow's foot)into the much-beloved tomato-Rice dishes.
As we all know, she will wrap the Jolof rice with dry skin and add thin slices of fish and herbs to make sushi.
She also smashed the African purple pear, dipped it in a sauce similar to the avocado sauce, and ate it on toast decorated with green leaf flowers --
Vegetables used in traditional soups.
But MS Soko says not everyone is willing to accept her cooking prank.
She said with a smile, "someone once complained, 'You put your mind too far outside the box. '.
However, she believes that the exploration and exploration of identity is driving what she calls a "revolution" in catering ".
Everything in "Nigeria" has surged over the past few years, not just food.
It spans literature, culture, history and experience.
"Reni Folawiyo has also seen a shift in attitudes towards cultural consumption in Nigeria and Africa.
Nok, her restaurant, is a microcosm of modern African food trends.
Congo open-air music is played from the sound system of the restaurant, while the bartender offers cocktails called "Lagosians" and "Eko Traffic", including "Ogogoro" or Nigerian palm wine and hibiscus.
MS Folawiyo described one of the most popular dishes, which was deconstructed and given a "Nok touch ".
This is a combination of braised beef tail and beans, drawing on the Yoruba culture of one of the indigenous peoples of the country.
She recalled that not everyone was initially keen on this new way of dining.
"Some people say, 'Why not like what we know?
But I think it's changed.
People understand what we are going to do now and we don't actually provide traditional food.
We offer new African food.
"Tiyan Alile, who founded the Culinary Academy in Lagos, believes that education and young people play a role in driving the production and consumption of refined food in Nigeria.
Her restaurant, Tarragon, combines the basic techniques of France and Nigeria with dishes such as steak, risotto, braised goat knuckles, and mountain puree.
However, industry experts complain that the Nigerian resistance to change is well-known.
The merchant, Chukwukaelo ajulchukwu, said, "I like egusi [
Melon seeds]
Soup like EGU si soup.
Some things are sacred.
Saida Okadigbo, who runs a fashion site in Lagos, admits, "I'm not going to eat Nigerian food at a proper upscale restaurant because I can eat it at home.
I can have my chef do it the way I like it.
"Although the food in Nigeria is very popular, it is not considered very high --
At the end of the ordinary people, they link food with foreign food.
Engineer Bayo Alabi said, "You can't go to a Nigerian restaurant and feel like you're eating well.
I was wondering why I had to spend so much money on Nigerian food.
"For most people, the cost of eating in upscale restaurants is very high.
At Nok, appetizers, main courses, and cocktails will keep you around 14,000 naira ($39; £29).
In the country, the latest figures show that more than 50% of the population lives on less than $2. 00 a day.
Mr. Oke believes that despite the niche market, there are enough markets to use disposable income to support these pioneering food companies.
Moreover, with the expansion of the middle class, he believes that there will be a bright future for this trend.
"We have a huge market here.
These new ideas [ventures]
Will find market share.
I think when we get richer as a society, people will be more willing to do the cooking experiment of guinea pigs.