Bayelsa’s signature dish — a vibrant, spicy seafood soup filled with crabs, prawns, periwinkles, and fresh fish, simmered in palm fruit extract. It’s said to “taste like the sea and the forest at once,” balancing sweetness, heat, and umami. Traditionally eaten with starch or fufu. ¹⁾

A comforting meal of ripe and unripe plantains, cooked with smoked fish, palm oil, pepper, and bitterleaf. Its sweet-savory harmony captures the Bayelsan fondness for dishes that are both nourishing and aromatic. ²⁾

Periwinkles cooked in pepper sauce and palm oil, often thickened with ground crayfish and garnished with scent leaves. Eaten with boiled yam or rice — it’s fiery, rich, and quintessentially coastal. ³⁾

Made from fresh river crabs, flavored with uziza, ehuru, and ata rodo. A fragrant, restorative dish that doubles as both a delicacy and a traditional remedy for colds. ⁴⁾

Thick, red, and aromatic — made from pounded palm fruit extract, cooked with catfish, meat, or snails. Bayelsa’s version is less oily than Delta’s, but spicier, often scented with lemon basil (nchuanwu). ⁵⁾

A smoky, ocean-scented stew featuring smoked tilapia and dried shrimp, sautéed in pepper, onions, and palm oil. It’s often paired with rice, bringing a deep, rustic taste of the river delta. ⁶⁾

Boiled yam served with a sauce of crayfish, pepper, palm oil, and scent leaves. A simple yet sacred meal — often prepared during fishing festivals or shared among boat crews. ⁷⁾

A local interpretation of the classic Igbo dish — bitterleaf cooked with fish instead of meat, and thickened with cocoyam or yam paste. The result is lighter, more fragrant, and deeply regional. ⁸⁾

A delicacy of snails, periwinkles, and smoked fish, simmered in palm oil with pepper and ogiri (fermented locust bean). Richly spiced and indulgent — a must at Bayelsan weddings and festivals. ⁹⁾

A staple pairing — elastic yellow starch (from cassava) served with thick palm fruit soup. The starch has a glossy, pudding-like texture, absorbing the flavors of spicy, oily broth beautifully. ¹⁰⁾

Cooked with palm oil instead of vegetable oil, giving it a deep orange hue. Spiced with crayfish, pepper, and smoked fish — a riverine take on a West African classic. ¹¹⁾

Chunks of cocoyam and fish cooked in a broth of pepper, onions, and palm oil. Hearty, lightly creamy, and deeply traditional — often eaten during the rainy season. ¹²⁾

Catfish simmered gently in banga sauce with a touch of fermented ogiri and scent leaves. A rich, comforting dish often enjoyed communally after fishing expeditions. ¹³⁾

A thick, fiery sauce made with blended fresh pepper, onions, and crayfish, fried in palm oil until smoky. It’s a universal condiment in Bayelsan kitchens — eaten with yam, rice, or plantain. ¹⁴⁾

Sweet plantains fried golden and topped with a savory crumble of crayfish, pepper, and palm oil. A humble roadside snack turned gourmet — pure Bayelsa ingenuity. ¹⁵⁾