1/2 teaspoon Banga Soup Seasoning

Banga Soup Seasoning


Nigeria
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1 T
*
10
Yes		 While this seasoning is necessary to make the famous Banga Soup (Palm Fruit Soup) of the Nigerian Delta region, it is difficult to make an authentic version in North America.
Many of the ingredients have now been identified, but some remain mysterious. Various of them, and some mixes, can be had on-line (see Seasoning Mixes). I have seen recent Banga Soup recipes that leave out all except the Beletientien Leaves or a substitute.


1
1
1
1
2


1
2

t
t
T

T


T
T
Traditional
Ataiko Seeds (1)
Irugege Seeds (2)
Aridan Fruit (3)
Oburunbebe Stick (4)  
Beletientien (5)

Practical
Banga Seasoning (6)
Beletientien subst. (5)  

Proportions given here are approximate as they are variable in practice. The amounts given should do for a 14 ounce (400 gram) can of Palm Fruit Concentrate.

  1. Grind the Ataiko and Irugege Seeds to powder. Chop or grind the Aridan Fruit Pulp as fine as you can. Mix all. This part goes into the soup in the early stages.
  2. Oburunbebe Stick is stuck into the soup in the late simmering stages. It is recovered and cleaned for a couple more uses.
  3. The Beletientien leaves go in with only a few minutes of simmering yet to go before serving.
NOTES:

  1. Ataiko:

      [Otiako]   Small seed used in Banga soup. Finally Identified, Aframomum subsericeum. It may sometimes be called Alligator Pepper, but that name is used for several Aframomum species, including the much better known Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta). For details see our Gingers page.

  2. Irugege / Rigije:

      These appear to be the same small flat brown seeds used in Nigerian Pepper Soup. No information about these is available, and they do not seem to be available in North America or on-line except as ingredients in Banga Soup and Pepper Soup seasoning mixes. The only suggestion I've seen for substitutes is that there is no substitute. Reportedly, they are gathered from the wild by women and sold at the roadside in Nigeria.

  3. Aridan:

      -   [Aiden; Prekese (Ghana (Soup Perfume)); Uhio,Uhiokrihio (Igbo); Uyayak, Tyko, Yanghanyanghan (Nigeria); Tetrapleura tetraptera]   Measure is for pulp only. This medium size bean tree is most grown in Ghana, but also east to Nigeria. It produces large winged bean pods up to nearly 10 inches long. They contain a sweet aromatic pulp used to flavor Nigerian Pepper Soup, Banga Soup, Palm Fruit Soup and others. The dried pulp is available on-line in North America. For details see our Aridan / Prekese page.

  4. Oburunbebe Stick:

      -   [Ikrabo Stick, Banga Stick]   This stick is used in Banga Soup, often inserted near the end of cooking. It can be used several times. Finally Identified (Sept 2018) by Kitchen Butterfly - it's Liquorice Root. Packages of Liquorice root can be found (usually sliced) in Asian Markets here in Southern California. For details see our Licorice page.

  5. Beletientien / Atama:

      -   [Obeletientien, Beletete; Bush Apple Leaves; Heinsia crinita]   Leaves of this plant are used fresh or dry, particularly in Banga Soup. It is grown and used in the Delta region of Nigeria. See our Beletientien / Atama page for details and substitutes.

  6. Seasoning Mixes

      A number of Banga Seasonings are available on-line. Some of them contain only Ataiko and Irugege Seeds, while others have one of those plus Aridan. The one we use is from Allspice Emporium in San Francisco. Ing: Beletete, Aidan Fruit, Obenetietien, Atariko, Rigije, Mint Leaves, Oburunbebe Stick, which is a fairly comprehensive list, but it does cost 2018 US $6.95 / ounce.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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