What it is
A northern green soup made with alayyahu, the local spinach, cooked down with dawadawa, ground pepper, groundnut paste or kuli kuli and dried fish. It is mild and everyday, thickened only by the greens themselves.
Key ingredients
- Alayyahu (spinach) leaves
- Dawadawa
- Ground groundnut or kuli kuli
- Ground pepper
- Dried fish or meat
- Onions
- Groundnut oil
A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.
How it is eaten
Eaten with tuwo shinkafa, tuwon masara or tuwon dawa, pinched and dipped.
Cultural significance
Alayyahu is one of the commonest greens in northern markets, and this soup is what many Hausa households eat several times a week. It is cheap, quick and adaptable, and its seasoning with dawadawa and ground groundnut is what marks it as northern rather than simply a spinach stew.
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