Ogbono Soup

Ogbono soup is a Nigerian dish made with ground ogbono seeds, with considerable local variation. The ground ogbono seeds are used as a thickener, and give the soup a black coloration. Besides seeds, water and palm oil, it typically contains meat, seasonings such as chili pepper, leaf vegetables and other vegetables. Typical leaf vegetables include bitterleaf and celosia. Typical other vegetables include tomatoes and okra. Typical seasonings include chiles, onions, and iru (fermented locust beans). Typical meats include beef, goat, fish, chicken, bush meat, shrimp, or crayfish. It can be eaten with fufu, pounded yam, or with rice. In other countries the soup may be available in packaged prepared form in some markets that specialize in Western African foods.