Why Nigerians eat beans and bread

Posted by Chidinma on Wednesday May 6, 2015 at 10:3:55:

One unique aspect of the Nigerian culture is the food. They have many unique local tasty cuisines from soups to stable foods but one food combination that is very popular among Nigerians is Bread and beans - That is eating bread and bean either together as a sandwich or separately on its own.

Bread ad beans is one food combination that is common among almost all tribes in Nigeria and some of the reason why Nigerians eat bread and beans are as follows;

1. It is considered a Balanced Diet: An average Nigerian classifies any meal that contains more than one class of food as a balanced diet; for instance a meal that contains just proteins and carbohydrate is considered a balanced diet over there; likewise, bread and beans which contains both carbohydrate and protein respectively are considered a balanced diet here in Nigeria, that is one of the reasons it is widely eaten by Nigerians. In reality, it really is balanced given that it contains fats proteins and carbohydrates. It also has little amounts of Vitamins and minerals.

2. It is really affordable: Of all foods commonly eaten in Nigeria, bread and beans are among the most affordable options as it can easily be purchased from most food vendors even on the road side and with as little as N150(about $0.75). You can get a full plate of beans/Agwa(Igbo)/Ewa(Yoruba) and bread from most sellers and it would be sufficient to satisfy your hunger.

3. It tastes good: Apart from the fact that it is mostly available and popular, one other reason why I personally love the bread and beans meal is because of the taste. Bread and beans have this unique taste that sets it apart from any other food combinations.

4. It takes less time to prepare: Bread can easily be purchased from the stores and beans can be prepared by cooking ina few minutes. It takes less time to prepare this meal than a more traditional soup and that's why many prepare taking it either for breakfast but some also take it for dinner.

There are many other types of food that Nigerians love to eat but bread and beans is among the most common.