Philomina's is a Nigerian restaurant that is only at the Public Market on Saturdays--that shows that this place is special! Located in the main building of the market, Philomina's was started by Philomina Emeka-Iheukwu, who came to the US from Nigeria and realized that she wanted to provide healthy Nigerian food to Americans. The restaurant emphasizes vegetarian, healthy food so I knew I had to give this place a try!
The public market is always busy and at first I couldn't find the place, but I eventually came across the booth, worked by three Nigerian women. I went for the Vegetarian Jollof Rice with beans. I also asked for some plantains because I love plantains! I got my food, which was buffet style, and they make your plate right in front of you. Because it was a bunch of different things on one plate, it reminded me of real home cooked food rather than from a restaurant. It was also great because you can customize and design your own plate, and add different sauces too or make it spicy.
There was a red sauce that covered the Jollof rice, which added a very nice flavor profile, although I'm not sure exactly what it is. The Jollof rice was super tasty with a great
flavor. Typically, Jollof rice is a single pot dish in West Africa made with rice, tomatoes, onions, spices, vegetables, and meat. I loved the plantains and the beans-
-everything went together very nicely. I think the beans were black eyed peas. The vegetables, which were sort of like collard greens, I didn't take a liking towards but that's just a personal preference. I also ordered something like a bean pancake, called akara, which I had never heard about before, and I liked it a lot. It was a bean pancake topped with vegetables. Before this moment, I had never tried Nigerian food before and this was a great introduction to Nigerian food, I was pleasantly surprised!
Nigeria, the biggest African country by population, obviously has many languages. English is also very common in Nigeria, and is Nigeria's official language. The most common Nigerian languages include Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and Fula. Many Nigerian langauges are tonal. Many Nigerian languages are close to extinction--read this to learn more: https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/there-are-27-languages-close-to-extinction-in-nigeria/p6jmw60.
Hopefully you can try Philomina's for some delcious healthy Nigerian food!
Ka ọ dị (Goodbye in Igbo)
-The Linguistic Foodie:)
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