For a food item that’s so versatile, yam surprisingly gets a lot of flak. I often see it pitted against plantain, who is great in her own right but is far less superior to yam. But that’s a conversation for another day.
There are so many possibilities with yam I tend to distrust people who don鈥檛 like it, in at least one form. As I made this list I came to the realisation that I quite love yam, which made this ranking the hardest I鈥檝e ever had to do.聽
滨办辞办辞谤别听
I considered leaving Ikokore of this list completely because I don鈥檛 want that smoke. But if no one else will say it, let me be the first to say that Ikokore is a very disappointing meal.
Full disclosure, I鈥檝e consumed Ikokore a total of 2 times in my life. It鈥檚 possible that both times it was just made by a really bad cook. But if we are being honest Ikokore has nothing going on for it. It doesn鈥檛 look good. It has a very odd texture. And tastes like you were trying to make regular pottage but accidentally dumped too much water in, and left it to cook for way too long.聽
Yamarita
This might be a controversial opinion to yam lovers but I find Yamarita to be a very unnecessary meal. It just feels like it鈥檚 doing too much. It’s dipped in flour, eggs all that jazz. Then fried, but I鈥檓 still supposed to eat it with a sauce if not it won鈥檛 bang. It just seems like a lot of work for a frankly mediocre dish. It鈥檚 like fried yam, but somehow worse. And yes this includes TFC鈥檚 yamarita.
Fried Yam聽
As much as I love yam I find fried yam a little hard to eat. When I鈥檓 forced to eat fried yam so many questions run through my head. Why is it so hard? Will it choke me? If I don鈥檛 drink water as I eat it, could I die?聽I could probably die.
Roasted Yam聽
I have no strong feelings towards roasted yam, it seems like something I鈥檇 enjoy over lunch with Pete Edochie and Kanayo O Kanayo as we discuss the next set of recruitments for our cult. I will say though, that roasted yam with palm oil that you add a pinch of salt to is kind of fire.
Amala
Amala is made out of yam flour so I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 too much of a stretch to count it as a yam dish. It鈥檚 also one of my top three swallows. The only flaw Amala suffers from is that it鈥檚 made to only be consumed with Ewedu, Stew and Gbegiri. It just doesn鈥檛 work with anything else.聽
Yam Pottage聽
If this were a pottage ranking, yam pottage might rank last. Just because sweet potato pottage and plantain pottage exist. But this isn鈥檛 a pottage ranking and I like yam pottage well enough to rank it fourth on this list. Yam pottage is at its best when you add on as many accompaniments as you can lay your hands on. Bell peppers, ponmo, shaki, periwinkle, the more the merrier. Spoil that pottage with love.聽
Boiled Yam聽
Boiled Yam is like white rice, plain, boring and almost inedible by itself. But once you combine it with anything at all from eggs to stew to palm oil it becomes absolutely fire. Quick life hack, if you add a pinch of sugar to the pot when you are boiling your yam, it’ll change your life.聽
Pounded Yam聽
If I鈥檓 being completely honest the only reason Pounded Yam doesn鈥檛 rank first on this list is because I鈥檓 Urhobo and my loyalties lie with Ukodo whose greatness I鈥檒l get to in a bit. But pounded yam is the greatest swallow no contest and the second-best yam dish to ever be made.聽
Ukodo (Yam Peppersoup)
Yam pepper soup is at the top of this list because, after Banga, it鈥檚 the greatest Nigerian dish to ever exist. I鈥檓 not sure what it鈥檚 called in other regions in Nigeria but for South-South people, it鈥檚 Ukodo.聽Here’s what makes Ukodo so magical. The yam is cooked in the pepper soup so it gets to soak up all of those divine pepper soup spices. Obviously, if you don’t like pepper soup you wouldn’t like Ukodo. But who doesn’t like pepper soup?
