What it is
Fermented sliced seeds of the African oil bean tree, with a soft, slightly stretchy texture and a strong, pungent, fermented taste often compared to locust beans. It is used as a flavour-carrying ingredient in salads and stews rather than eaten as a standalone dish.
Key ingredients
- Oil bean seeds (fermented)
- Palm oil
- Pepper
- Crayfish
A list of what goes in, not a recipe. Quantities and method vary by household.
How it is eaten
Eaten with the fingers, either mixed into abacha or served on its own dressed with palm oil, ground crayfish and pepper. It commonly appears alongside abacha at social gatherings and is also enjoyed as a light snack or side dish.
Cultural significance
Ugba is an Igbo ingredient central to dishes such as abacha, where it is mixed through the cassava salad to add its distinctive fermented flavour. Its production through natural fermentation of oil bean seeds is a long-established local food-processing tradition in Igbo communities in south-eastern Nigeria, and it is also eaten on its own dressed with palm oil, pepper and crayfish.
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