Fu Fu and Watermelon Seeds

Recently, I was waiting for a couple of friends of mine to meet me at a Thai restaurant when I noticed a restaurant featuring “African Cuisine” across the street.

Intrigued, I trotted across to look at the menu that was posted outside. Here are some of the menu items:

Egusi – A soup comprised of watermelon seeds, tomatoes, dried fish, and chilis.

Roasted guinea fowl with okra

Fu Fu

Cow skin soup

Now, regarding the watermelon seed soup, I guess I can see how that came about. In Texas, you’ll often find grandmas slicing the watermelon rind and pickling it like sweet pickles. I’m sure some frugal grandma somewhere just didn’t want to see the rinds go to waste and decided to pickle them.

I love pickled watermelon rind, by the way.

I’m sure some equally frugal grandma in Nigeria didn’t want to see the watermelon seeds go to waste and figured out how to utilize them. Good for her. Nourishment for a family should never be passed up.

By the way, the watermelon seeds in Egusi are ground to a paste and used as a thickener for the soup.

I don’t think I could get into cow skin soup. Some pretty hard times must have instigated that food item.

I remember guinea fowls on the ranch where my grandmother lived. They look like quails on steroids and spend their days eating bugs. I don’t recall ever eating one so I’m not sure how they’d taste.

Fu Fu is a paste made from root vegetables like yams (not to be confused with sweet potatoes) or cassava root. Sounds pretty bland.

The next time I “meet the girls” for dinner, I’m going to suggest this place.

I doubt they will comply.