Perhaps Borno’s most famous dish — a smoky green soup made from dried baobab leaves, cooked with meat, fish, and ground crayfish or locust beans. Deeply earthy, slightly tangy, and uniquely northern, it’s typically served with tuwo shinkafa (soft rice pudding). 1)
A daily staple made by boiling and mashing fine maize flour into a smooth, dough-like consistency. In Borno, it’s sometimes mixed with fermented sorghum for a light sour edge and eaten with miyan kuka or groundnut soup. 2)
A thick, creamy peanut soup cooked with meat, pepper, and leafy greens. Borno cooks often add a pinch of tamarind or dried lime — a desert-inspired acidity that balances the richness beautifully. 3)
The northern version of jerky — thin sheets of spiced beef dried in the sun, then briefly roasted over fire. Borno’s kilishi is famous for its peppery peanut coating, making it crisp and aromatic. A snack with centuries of trade history behind it. 4)
Millet dough balls (fura) served in chilled fermented cow milk (nono). In Borno, it’s often flavored with ginger, cloves, and chili, giving this traditional drink-meal a warming bite despite its cool temperature. 5)
Cooked from black-eyed peas, palm oil, and fish, this dish has a velvety, earthy flavor. Kanuri cooks sometimes enrich it with baobab powder or a squeeze of desert lime, adding subtle tartness. 6)
Grilled skewered beef coated in yaji (spice blend of ground peanuts, cayenne, and ginger). Borno’s version often includes dried mint or moringa leaf powder for a green, herbaceous note. 7)
A sweet-savory soup made from pumpkin purée, groundnuts, and fish or meat, gently spiced with cloves and nutmeg. It’s considered nourishing, especially during Ramadan or after fasting. 8)
A fluffy, steamed rice meal, halfway between couscous and jollof. In Borno, it’s cooked with minced meat, dried pepper, and a splash of butter or groundnut oil — a subtle, fragrant dish often served at weddings. 9)
A tangy, slightly sweetened porridge drink made from tamarind pulp, millet flour, and ginger. It’s served cold to refresh travelers and herders in the desert heat — both energizing and cooling. 10)
Sweet fried pastries made from wheat flour, sugar, and honey, shaped into small rings. Borno’s variation uses date syrup or sugarcane molasses, a nod to ancient Saharan trade routes. 11)
Soft, shredded, spiced beef dried and fried to perfection. It’s eaten alone, with tuwo, or sprinkled into porridge — a portable protein for nomadic and military communities alike. 12)
A creative dish blending miyan kuka with smoked fish and chili oil, served as a semi-dry stew. A modern Kanuri innovation that keeps the flavors traditional but the texture contemporary. 13)
A porridge-like meal combining millet grits, pumpkin leaves, groundnuts, and fish. Hearty, lightly spiced, and deeply filling — a comfort food from rural households. 14)
Mashed sweet potatoes and black-eyed beans, sautéed with onions, pepper, and oil. It’s both a breakfast and a street snack — soft, protein-rich, and naturally sweet-spicy. 15)