Gbaji or Gbawri Ejing
Nigeria is a very diverse multilingual country with a special people popularly called Gbawri or some called them Ggbaji people. They are located mainly in the middle belt area of Nigeria. They are located in Areas of Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), Nassara and some area of Kogi state. They have have their cultures and of course meals, one which readily comes in mind is a meal that is common among them called Ejinge.
We might have discussed Tuwo food but let me just refresh us about Tuwo. Tuwo is a solid food that one eat as a bolus. It is different from Sokora, Sokora is made from yam, The normal pounded yam is what is called Sokora. Tuwo is always made of either maize, called Tuwo Mazara, while that made of rice is called Tuwo shinkafa. The two bolus made of maize and rice are generally callled Tuwo.
The Gbwari (or Ggbaji) people have a different way of taking their Tuwo which they called Ejinge. The Tuwo mazara this time, after it's prepared, it is raped in a leave or a nylon bag and placed in a pot of water to ferment for days. Then one would go to the mold and look for worms, but this days, because of civilization, they don't eat the meal with worm anymore but the original meal is being eating by wood worm, after it's been prepared, the fermented Tuwo is now taken with worm. These days, instead of the worm, they get smoked fished, there is this fish they call "kifi Suya", they get the fish and they begin to eat the fermented Tuwo with the fish.
The meal is becoming extinct because it no longer fashionable to people growing up in the city anymore, but 9ja groceries and recipe owe Nigerians a duty to keep the heritage of some of our know meals and the people of the gbwari could one day ask their grandmother about Ejing and they could have a taste of the meal again. I wouldn't be able to get a clear picture of how the food looks like, but I have provided some of the groceries one could use to make the meal, the recipe for a good Ejing is left with grandma's secret recipe book.
Please leave a comment on this page to bring to light some of our food that civilization is pushing away. Thanks.
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