Pounded Yam With Ishapa Soup | The South Western Delicacy

image

Food they say is very vital to the body system, it is one thing we can't do without for long and next to air, well from the start, I'm a foodie, I love food in big portions and my mum do tell me how I do finish my baby food in days which sometimes make her scared but the worst part is that I do select food especially when it come to food have not taste before, I will rather pass than embarrass myself with my weird reaction to food. When it come to picking a favorite food, I do love eba back in the days but the day I start eating pounded yam with Isapa soup made with egusi, it cancel eba and took the top position. I'm from Ekiti and their top food is yam/pounded yam, I'm not that use to travelling home though, on a norms it is always Pounded yam with vegetable soup (egusi combo) but one day dad travelled home and came back with this thing they call Ishapa (white zobo leaves) I had to search it before I know it is zobo leaves, I was like what is this and he said it is their best soup they use for pounded yam.

Mum and dad came from the same state so they know about it well, I was somehow curious so I sat with mum to know how she will prepare it, she was like she need to soak the leave overnight first so it wont be sour when cooked, she boiled water, pour ash inside with the ishapa, took it off the fire after a while and leave it till the following morning, I was just laughing inside me that what is this, the next day, she wash it really well then made egusi and added the soft ishapa instead of vegetables, omo when I ate it with pounded yam, the taste was heavenly, it taste like well cooked fish and it really go down well, I love from that moment and I made sure I steal some whenever I get the chance.

It is just a sad thing because this is not something I can have access to all the time, it been a while since I even see the ishapa soup because it is not common in my location and most restaurant don't have it, I don't get tired of eating pounded yam even though they always say you can easily get tired and there is no way you won't sleep after eating it, it is the other way for me, I will be jumping around after eating and even demand for more.