I went to buy rice and ayamase from a popular food joint in my area today and me and the seller got into a discussion and in the proccess, she schooled me on how this favourite delicacy came into existence.

Now it so happened that in Abeokuta, lived a man called Mr Maseka. Mr Maseka's wife was a canteen operator and the only food she sold in her canteen was white rice and stew. Now, her canteen grew so popular to the extent that people came from as far as Lagos to come and patronise her. The canteen was always bustling with people from all works of life, some dressed in suit and tie, queuing up to buy rice and fried stew. Now, the canteen grew so popular such that whenever people in the neighbourhood wanted to send their ward to the canteen to buy food, they will say "Go and buy aya Mase's food for me". "Aya" means wife while "Mase" is short for Maseka. So Aya Mase simply means "Mase's wife. There goes the story behind this popular delicacy and how the name came into being.

Mrs Maseka, the name behind this famous food brand, died last year according to my source. So folks, now you know.