This week, I tried to make a list of all the soups in Yoruba land. I learned two things from that exercise: 1) That Yoruba people don’t have soups at all, and 2) That a ranking of Yoruba soups was long overdue. Join me as I rank them from worst to best.
7. Obe Ata
This, to me, has to be weakest soup from Yorubaland. Basically pepper and oil that cannot be enjoyed without adding draw soup. Even when you try to eat it with rice, e get as e be. This obe ata in particular needs to do better.
6. Bitterleaf soup.
I honestly think Yoruba people cannot cook bitterleaf soup as good as other ethnic groups. This is why it’s not so common in Yorubaland. When they do cook it, the soup doesn’t really measure up to expectations. But it’s still better than Obe Ata, so it ranks higher.
5. Waterleaf Soup.
This is one highly underrated Yoruba soup. Waterleaf soup is really elite and it hurts to see it being ignored in the long list of Yoruba soups. For me, it beats bitterleaf soup and Obe Ata easily, There’s no two way about it. Did I also mention that it goes well with any swallow? The range.
4. Marugbo.
I tasted this for the first time in Ondo state and I wanted to eat it forever! It’s the Yoruba equivalent of black soup and I don’t know why this queen isn’t on our plates more. The taste is super amazing, and it goes well with pupuru and fufu. The blackness might put you off a bit, but one taste is all you need to convince you. Shoutout to Ondo people for offering this elite dish.
3. Ila Alasepo
You might be wondering why I didn’t rank ewedu and plain okro. Simple answer: they are not standalone soups. They need Obe Ata to function. Ila Alasepo can stand on its own though and that’s what makes it so worthy of this number. Cook it well and fill it with enough animals and it easily beats all the soups on this list. Wahala for who no dey chop okro oh.
2. Egusi
Egusi is a Yoruba soup that changes taste with new additions. Add ugu and it gives a different taste; add efo soko and you get another taste; add waterleaf and you get another taste. That versatility is not easy to come by. And it goes so well with rice, so that’s why it’s at number 2. Igbos can fight me all they want, but I believe Egusi is purely Yoruba. Convince me with proof please.
1. Efo Riro
This has to be the best thing from Yorubaland. No cap. No other tribe can make efo riro as good as Yorubas. Quote me anywhere because I said what I said. There’s no doubt that it should rank number 1. It’s a versatile soup with a wide range. Add egusi and you get something else, cook it with Obe Ata and something new comes up; cook it with stew and yet another thing. No other soup comes close.
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