In the beginning there was hunger…
Legend has it that in ancient times, a wise old mama in the village was tired of eating plain vegetable soup. Every day: waterleaf, bitterleaf, ugu , she said, “Enough is enough! This leaf life cannot be my portion! I refuse to identify as a Goat”
One fateful day, she looked at the humble egusi seed, a small, innocent-looking thing from the melon family. Nobody knew what to do with it. Some people even thought it was just decoration, but this mama, driven by divine hunger and stubborn innovation, said, “Let me grind this thing and see wetin go happen.”
After blending the egusi and tossing it into a hot pot with palm oil, onions, pepper, and assorted meat (because let’s be honest, no soup without kpomo is complete), something magical happened: the aroma sent a signal straight to the ancestors.
People started showing up at her compound with spoons. No invitation. Just vibes.
“Mama, we were passing by and Sniffed the sweetest aroma.”
That day, peace was declared in the village. Stomachs were full. Marriages were proposed. Enemies became friends. That’s the power of Egusi, it brought nations together.
Today, Egusi has gone on to become the number one Nigerian dish! And you know this because Egusi no sha get enemy!
Let’s be real for a moment… If Nigerian soups were a music group, Egusi would be the lead singer. Ogbono might be the mysterious one, Afang the herbalist, but Egusi? Egusi is the star. The main character.
Egusi has even gone abroad before you, You, mgbeke feeling funky. But jokes aside, Egusi is steadily giving main character energy.
So next time you sit down to a plate of egusi, remember: you are not just eating soup. You are tasting history. You are honoring a woman who looked at a dry melon seed and said, “I see potential.”
God bless her. God bless Nigeria and God bless Egusi, and if you believe this story from the bottom of your heart, God bless you too!
