by Ayotomiwa Elesho

In his 1965 quintet Ibadan, the great poet John Pepper Clark portrayed the city as, a running splash of rust. This was a passive reference to the prominent iron-roof buildings that once defined the ancient city’s skyline. Around the city, you could be drawn to a comparison of rickety Micra cabs and the quiet-moving Omi Titun BRT buses, all pointing to a wide range of makeovers.

Yet, Ibadan’s rivalry between relics and remodelled infrastructure has no bearing on its young residents; they are the ones who love Amala so much! If Clark had lived to describe today’s Ibadan, he would see several hotspots serving the delicacy all over Oyo State’s capital. His views will change, almost like some renaissance is going on.

Amala is a staple swallow food native to the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. It is made of yam flour, cassava flour, or unripe plantain flour. Long tubers of yam are peeled, sliced, cleaned, dried and blended into an off-white fine flour that the Southwest indigenes call elubo.

The powder is skilfully kneaded with boiling water to make amala, and then a variety of flavourful soups can come along, allowing for a delightful culinary experience. As Bimpe, an amala lover, puts it: Amala is the best delicacy in the world and everyone should have a taste of it at least once in their lifetime.

Heading off to northern Ibadan on a cool Wednesday afternoon, we started a walk into the Ose Olorun Restaurant in Bodija, affectionately dubbed Amala Skye. Upon entry, what we beheld was an unending stream of customers.

E fun mi ni gbegiri ati ewedu, (literarily: Give me a bean and jute mallow soup), Opeyemi, a 25-year-old resident of Apete, a town located about 12 kilometres away, raised an order. He wanted a mixture of gbegiri and ewedu soups (otherwise known as abula), which he described as perfect for the optimal enjoyment of an amala dish.  Amala pass amala, he declared, a smile gracing his lips as he revealed the reason behind his 12-kilometre drive from Apete to Bodija just to get amala.

It’s not just the unparalleled quality of amala that draws me here, but the ogunfe (goat meat) beats anyone sold anywhere else in my books. I come here three times a week to buy amala for my girlfriend, my friend, and myself, which is why you can see me with three take-outs.

ALSO READ: Amala Skye: Serving hot amala with class

Someone who is not a very good cook like Niye thinks Amala Skye offers a readily available solution.

However, he said spiritedly, while Amala Skye certainly addresses my culinary limitations, there are moments when dining here proves rather uncomfortable. You see, as a remote worker, I am inclined to return to my laptop as soon as I’ve concluded my meal. But as you can see, the hustle and bustle here tend to impede my concentration. So, whenever I need to eat out and do some serious work immediately after, I gravitate towards other restaurants.

Niye’s observation about the bustling atmosphere was undeniably accurate; conversations buzzed like an animated symphony at nearly every table, and the order counter was a hub of activities, orchestrating the fulfilment of customers’ orders. Nonetheless, there is a but.

While I share a certain affinity with this restaurant, says Niye, I occasionally eat at other restaurants whose food is just as good. Nevertheless, Amala Skye’s location proves easier to drive or stroll into compared to other restaurants like Iya Meta’s in the heart of Bodija.

For some, the allure of Ibadan’s amala joints lies in the tastefulness, which influences them to travel long distances to savour the food. Internet-enabled payments and growth in fulfilment services brought them to explore Amala and it has been quite an experience. For many, they cannot find the time from their busy schedules to visit the restaurants. The spots have grown patronage due to the delivery service add-on.

Whatever is driving the desire, there is a commonality among the restaurants: they embrace innovation to oil their appeal to the younger generation of Ibadan residents; that is, those who have busy schedules but must find time to eat.

Ayotomiwa Elesho is a student of the University of Ibadan. This article was first published in Local Content Digest H2 2023 edition.