Efo riro — South West, Nigeria

Efo riro is a vegetable soup central to Yoruba cooking, built on leafy greens simmered in a thick, red pepper-and-palm-oil base. The name literally points to its main action — stirring the greens into the sauce — and the dish is recognized across Yorubaland by that deep color and its layered savoriness. It is reported from South West Nigeria, where Yoruba communities prepare it at home and for gatherings and ceremonies, and it has since traveled with the diaspora far beyond the region. The vegetables most often named are Celosia argentea (shoko) and Amaranthus hybridus (tete), though spinach, pumpkin leaves or sorrel leaves stand in depending on what a market offers. The base starts with blended bell peppers, scotch bonnet and onion fried in palm oil until the raw edge disappears, then simmered with meat, smoked fish, dried crayfish and a few locust beans for depth. The chosen greens are stirred in only at the end and cooked briefly, just long enough to wilt without turning dull or bitter. The soup is usually spooned over pounded yam, fufu, eba, amala or another swallow. Households vary the recipe by the greens on hand, the balance of meat, fish and crayfish, and how much pepper goes into the base, so one pot can run mild and vegetable-forward while another turns deep red and rich with protein. What stays constant is the method: a pepper-and-oil sauce carrying the greens rather than the reverse.