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Akpu
A name used for cassava fufu in Igbo settings. Ask local speakers about the exact use. It is not a name for every starch food in Nigeria.
Amala
A Nigerian swallow food with named forms. A yam-flour version uses elubo. Do not describe all amala as fermented cassava fufu.
Cassava
A root crop also called manioc in some settings. It needs proper processing before eating. The whole root, flour, gari, and wet paste are different products.
Cocoyam
A common name for certain starchy plants. Local usage can vary. Find the exact plant and product needed for a recipe.
Diaspora
People living away from a place they or their families came from. Food can help maintain connections across that distance.
Eba
A Nigerian swallow prepared with gari. It is not the same starting product as wet fermented cassava fufu paste.
Egusi
Melon seeds used in cooking, and a name for soups or dishes made with them. Check the full recipe for other ingredients.
Elubo
A flour name associated with yam-based amala in Yoruba food use. It should not be used as a label for every fufu flour blend.
Fermentation
A change caused by tiny living things, such as bacteria, during processing. A fermented ingredient does not prove a cooked food is probiotic.
Foufou
A spelling used in French-language settings. Its meaning depends on place. It may refer to flour or a cooked starch preparation.
Fufu
A name used for several starchy preparations. Ingredient, place, and method are needed for a precise description.
Gari
A processed cassava food, commonly in dry grains. It is used to prepare eba. It is not simply a new name for raw cassava flour.
Genotype
A plant type with its own inherited traits. Cassava studies use this word when comparing different types of the crop.
Groundnut
Another name for peanut. A groundnut soup is relevant to anyone checking for peanut ingredients.
Iyan
A Yoruba name associated with pounded yam. Use the cook’s own name for the food and check the method.
Manioc
A name for cassava. The name alone does not tell you how the product has been processed.
Mortar and pestle
Tools used for pounding. The mortar holds the food. The pestle is the tool used to pound it. Food pounding needs skill and care.
Plantain
A cooking banana. Green and ripe forms behave differently. Use the stage specified in the recipe.
Processing
Work that changes raw food into another form. Cooking, grinding, drying, and fermentation are examples.
Retting
A soaking process that softens cassava for some preparations. Research timings are not a home food-safety recipe.
Sensory study
A study in which people judge food using senses such as taste, smell, and touch. Its findings depend on the food and people tested.
Starch
A part of many plant foods that provides energy when eaten. Its behavior with water and heat helps shape a food’s texture.
Swallow
A group term in Nigerian food talk for starch foods often eaten with soup. It is not an instruction to force down food without chewing.
True yam
A yam plant, different from the sweet potato called “yam” in some US shops. A recipe needs the correct ingredient.
A note on names
These are starting definitions, not a full language dictionary. Spellings and meanings can change with place and speaker. We avoid assigning one local name to every community.
For English word history, see Oxford’s fufu entry. For regional product distinctions, see FAO’s cassava products account and the source desk. Chef Lola’s true yam guide offers a cook’s introduction to that ingredient.
Know a local use we should explain more clearly? Send the word, language, place, and a reliable source.
This guide uses published sources and clearly marked editorial advice. It is part of an independent publication by Chef Lola. Check the sources · Send a correction.