Black Joy Through Food: The Vegan Nigerian
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of a Nigerian plant-based diet. It was hard for me to imagine how it would work considering so many of our dishes contain meats of all kinds as well as fish, crayfish, and other seafood. To get the inside scoop, I spent an afternoon with Tomi Makanjuola, the Nigerian-born, London-based creator of The Vegan Nigerian. It’s a platform where Makanjuola shares traditional Nigerian recipes adapted for veganism.
On becoming a vegan
Makanjuola’s journey to being a vegan started nearly a decade ago when she found herself sluggish and lacking in energy while consuming meals rich in processed meats and dairy. She instinctively cut all animal products from her diet and experienced increased energy and improved digestion. After doing further research into veganism by reading books and watching documentaries, she concluded that becoming a vegan was the way forward. In her own words, “Once I had seen all of that, I just couldn’t unsee it, particularly in relation to animal cruelty.”
The Challenges of being a Vegan and Nigerian
At the beginning of the switch to the vegan lifestyle, Tomi was worried that she would not be able to eat the foods she grew up on. However, since she always loved cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, she readily took on the challenge of modifying those traditional dishes whilst retaining the flavours and ingredients. That led to the creation of The Vegan Nigerian blog where she shared her experiments and recipes.
Beyond that, the biggest challenge of being Vegan was visiting family and friends who did not fully understand the vegan diet and continued to offer foods that had animal products in them - especially within a culture that considers a meal incomplete without “the protein” i.e., assorted pieces of meats and fish. Being Vegan has led Tomi to discover and spread awareness about plant-based nutrition and correct the misconception that one cannot be healthy without consuming animal products.
Tomi preparing one of her favourite Vegan Nigerian dishes, Plantain Porridge. Her cookbook contains 100 classic recipes with a plant-based twist.
The Vegan Nigerian platform is an opportunity to showcase the beauty of our food and to show people that there is an alternative way to enjoy traditional foods that are healthy and tasty. It is important to encourage a mindset shift to abundance and exploring new ingredients rather than restriction and cutting things out. This opens us up to discovering new foods and being more creative in the kitchen.
