Home › Guides › Buka food
Buka food guide: what are they ordering?
At a buka (mama put), people order in street language. Here is what each order means, from Abeokuta and across the South-West.
| They say | You serve |
|---|---|
| “Mama, abeg give me abula. Make the gbegiri plenty!” | Amala with gbegiri and ewedu Abula is amala with gbegiri (bean soup) and ewedu (jute-leaf soup): the classic South-West combo. |
| “Ewa agoyin with agege bread, abeg!” | Mashed beans in dark fried pepper sauce, with soft bread Ewa agoyin is mashed beans with a dark, slow-fried pepper sauce. Agege bread is the soft bread it goes with. |
| “Ofada and ayamase. I don hungry well well!” | Local brown rice with green pepper stew Ofada rice is named after Ofada town in Ogun State. Ayamase is its green pepper “designer” stew. |
| “Ẹ jọ̀ọ́, ikokore! Na Ijebu food I want today.” | Water-yam pottage Ikokore is grated water-yam pottage, a speciality of the Ijebu people of Ogun State. |
| “Asaro, abeg. Make the palm oil red well!” | Yam porridge Asaro is yam porridge, cooked soft in palm oil and pepper. |
| “Ojojo, two wraps! Hot hot.” | Fried balls of grated water yam Ojojo is grated water yam, seasoned and deep fried. Think akara, but made from yam. |
| “Akara and eko for breakfast, abeg!” | Bean fritters with solid corn pap in leaves Eko (agidi) is corn pap set solid and wrapped in leaves. Akara and eko is a classic Yoruba breakfast. |
| “Moin moin elemi meje, abeg!” | Steamed bean pudding with egg, fish and more inside “Elemi meje” means “with seven lives”: moin moin with egg, fish, meat and more inside. |
| “Ekuru with ata dindin, abeg.” | White steamed bean cake with fried pepper sauce Ekuru is moin moin’s white cousin: steamed beans with no pepper or oil inside, eaten with a fried pepper sauce. |
| “Iyan and efo riro. Abeg make dem pound am well!” | Pounded yam with rich vegetable stew Iyan is pounded yam. Efo riro is a rich Yoruba vegetable stew with assorted meat. |
| “Lafun and ewedu. I no want amala dudu today.” | White cassava swallow with jute-leaf soup Lafun is white amala made from cassava flour. Amala dudu is the dark one made from yam flour. |
| “Boli and epa, from the roadside fire!” | Roasted plantain with groundnuts Boli is roasted plantain, a roadside favourite with roasted groundnuts (epa). |
| “Dodo ikire! The real Osun one.” | Spicy fritters of overripe plantain Dodo ikire comes from Ikire in Osun State: overripe plantain mashed with pepper and fried dark. |
| “Egusi soup with semo, plenty orisirisi!” | Melon-seed soup with semovita swallow Egusi is ground melon seed. Orisirisi means “assorted”: shaki, ponmo, beef, the works. |
| “Garri, cold water, sugar small and groundnut!” | Soaked garri with groundnuts Soaking garri with cold water, sugar and groundnuts is every student’s best friend. |
In the game, 🍲 Mama Put Rush gives you 5 customers a day. Serve the right plate for ₦500 each and ₦1,500 more when all 5 are right.
Serve at the buka today