Nigeria is blessed with rich cultural values that have endeared her to the international community over the years. Part of the natural endowment of the country is its sumptuous variety of delicacies which have at various times been applauded by visitors to the country.
The delicacies which come in different forms abound in every part of the country and are said to contain high nutritional values that help the development of the body. In spite of the good health benefits that can be derived from eating these delicacies, findings revealed that many communities across the country abstain from eating them for various reasons part of which include upholding the ancestral beliefs of their forefathers.
For instance, in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, the sale and eating of ogbono, a protaineous seed used for making sumptuous soup across the country is considered a taboo.
“It is a taboo for us to eat ogbono soup because our mother goddess, Onishe uses it for spiritual purification. This in our local parlance is known as ife-ahu. If you check the mouth of the River Niger you will find that it is the sacred abode of the deity, Onishe. She is the spiritual mother who holds the destiny of Asaba people. Big ogbono trees line up both sides to the groove of the mother goddess.
“The mystery behind these trees is the belief that for the past 250 years, neither the leaves nor the ogbono seeds have ever fallen on the ground. The day I tried eating it in defiance to our culture, I had myself to blame. My mouth and part of my face was swollen. When I told people what I did, they said I was lucky to have suffered mild repercussion. They said some people tried it and never lived to tell the story. It is a true life story and not a fairy tale,” Vivian, a native of the area said.
Checks also showed that in some parts of Agbor, an Igbo speaking part of the state, the people forbid eating ram. Not only do they forbid it, it was learnt that they must not stay close to where it is being cooked.
Florence, a hairdresser shares her experience with our correspondent. “ It is a serious matter in our place and on no ground do we allow the temptation of what people say about it push us into tasting it. When I was coming to Lagos, my grandfather specifically warned me not to have anything to do with the meat of ram. Even if that is the only source of protein in the whole world, I would rather lack protein than eat it because the consequence is worse than not having protein in the body. A relation dared the tradition out of greed and paid dearly for it. Her tongue pushed out and had to be taken back home to appease the gods of the land before she became well again.”
The Nation also gathered that in Orokpo, an Urhobo community located in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, the people do not hunt nor eat the meat of Lynx popularly known as “Awawa” in the local parlance.
Explaining why the hunting or eating the meat of the animal which provides cheap protein for the people is prohibited, a native of the community who simply gave his name as James: If any member of the community should eat of the meat of this animal, he will develop severe and throbbing pains in the part of his body which corresponds to the part of the animal that he ate. So if it is the leg part of the animal that he ate, he will have severe unexplained pain in his legs. He will only get cured only by presenting himself to the priest of the deity who would tell him the e sacrifices that he would do to appease the gods.
“If he doesn’t do exactly what he is asked to do for any reasons, he will continue to live with the problem and may ultimately die. That I am a Christian does not have anything to do with this. It is the tradition of the land handed over to us by our forefathers. It is not a pagan practice as some people will be quick to describe it. It is the culture of the land and even pastors and believers in other religions don’t toy with it.
Various communities in Igboland, it was learnt, also have various food taboos. In Nnewi, one of the largest communities in Anambra State, killing and eating of ewi (bush rat) known to be a good source of meat and protein for the people is forbidden. The Nation gathered that the practice was borne out of the belief that ewi played a great role in saving the founders of Nnewi during wars.
In Ehime Mbano area of Imo State, rearing and eating of dog meat is said to be against culture of the people.
Tracing the history of the observance, Chief Okeke, a native of the community, said: “It all started several decades ago when dogs believed to have rabies caused the death of their owners by infesting them with the disease. Our people don’t also eat native cows. This is simply because we look at them as home pets.If you do what is contrary to what the tradition says, you will suffer for it. No orthodox treatment can cure the problem. The treatment lies in the native practice.
Coming to the south western part of the country, sale of roasted yam seen by many as a delicacy that can be eaten in different ways is deemed a taboo in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
“ Sales of roasted yam is not permitted in any part of Ikorodu. It is believed that doing such will bring a lot of trouble into the society. The community frowns at it and it is in the interest of the people and the entire land,” Ajibade, a resident said.
Yam, though not the roasted one also enjoys some respect in Edo State, Ishanland to be specific. “It is forbidden to sit on a yam in our place. This is because we hold it dearly as a child. We give it that respect,” said Omonsuzi, a native of Uromi.
The consumption of snakes hat is highly cherished in different parts of the country, according to findings is utterly prohibited in parts of Obanliku, a suburb of Cross Rivers State.
Blessing, a native of the area explained why this is the practice in the area. She said: “Our people don’t eat snake because history has it that there was a time our forefathers were having a social gathering where they treated themselves to a good time. In the course of dancing, a snake was said to have jumped down from a tree and joined them in dancing. This made them to begin to see the creature as something that should be preserved.”
Debunking the beliefs surrounding the taboos, Margret Ubeku, a nutritionist said: “Many people in the society are unaware of what constitute their nutritional needs . Food taboos can cause nutritional deficiency in people, most importantly, the children. When a pregnant mother is forbidden from eating egg on the ground that it can cause the baby to be a thief, or a situation where a pregnant woman is not allowed to eat liver because it can cause bleeding during delivery, what becomes of nutritional value to such woman?
“There is another that says a pregnant mother should not eat okro or snail because it will make the baby salivate. All these are baseless and unfounded beliefs. They will only lead to one not eating food of high nutritional value which automatically reduces their nutritional status.”
Some sociologists who spoke with our correspondent said taboos, especially food taboos are essential part of the society as most of them came into existence after the food in question must have caused something to happen in the particular environment it is forbidden . They noted that the taboos are meant to bring about social order in the society.
There has not been any established link between snail consumption and sluggishness and grass cutter consumption with prolonged labour. On the contrary, the giant African snail has a rich source of protein, trace elements and minerals which are needed for proper growth and development in human beings. In the same vein, the grass cutter or cane rat is also a source of rich animal protein. These foods are cheap and can serve as commonly available sources vital nutrients for a balanced diet in developing countries. Their consumption could therefore reduce maternal malnutrition if utilised fully.
Mr Jawando Jubril, a lecturer in the Sociology Department of Lagos State University (LASU) has this to say about food taboos: “You call these practices taboos but they are ways of bringing order into the society. Roasting of yam or selling of broom in the south western part of the country is believed to be something that brings bad omen. They are believed to cause diseases like Small Pox, Chicken Pox because they denote looking for the wrath of the gods. But because Lagos State is a cosmopolitan society, the values attached to these beliefs have been eroded. The people that are charged with the responsibility of protecting these cultures have overlooked them.
“In Lagos Island for example, When the late Oba Oyekan was alive, people were not allowed to sell roasted yam or hawk broom. Every community has taboos that the natives and even the non natives must respect. There are consequences for disobeying these taboos and they are always very grave. There are health reasons attached to the observance of some of these taboos while some have spiritual reasons for observing them.”
He however pointed out that it is not all the taboos that hold water, adding: “There are some of them that are ordinary myths because they have no empirical back up. They are merely handed over from one generation to another and are derived from using mere common sense. For example, it is believed that it is a taboo for one to eat by the side or in front of a door because if you do, you will not be filled.
“This is just a common sense thing that is meant to prevent people from not eating to their fill because when you are eating by the door side and people have to go in and out, you will keep standing up and not concentrate to eat the food as you should thereby causing your stomach not to be filled. Another one is the idea of blowing whistle in the afternoon. It is also a commonsense thing because when you blow whistle in the afternoon, you will disturb the people that are resting in their homes.”
Examining why some of the food taboos have continued to exist despite the influences of civilization and religion, Mr Adedeji Oyenuga who also teaches in the same department of the institution said: “ Some cultural values are easily eroded while others don’t. Some cultural traits can be easily ignored while some others will take a very long time before they can be changed. The ones that can easily be changes are referred to as folkways while the one that cannot easily be changed are what we call mores.
“These two represent the norms of the society. I am not from Ikorodu and cannot explain why they forbid roasting of yam in the area but I do know that Ogun (god of iron) worshippers are in the area and that they do roast yam. What probably is the issue here is that people in the area are not expected to roast yam for commercial purposes. It could mean that roasted yam is expected to be shared to people free of charge.”
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