Hi guys,
I am an igbo girl living in LDN, I cook a lot of Nij food but I have been wondering what iru is and what its used for,
I read on the net that its some kind of fermented locust bean, but i often see it added to soups etc.
Can you tell me what its used for and what it adds to the food,

(second question.,. is there anywhere i can buy snails for cheaply in London?)
thanks
Zi

Yes, IRU is called Locust beans (the english name) and its used as a traditional spice to add flavour to foods. Usually, they are sold in leaves and salted for preservation. The best ones are from the village where they are free from sand and are fresh.

They are ground with pepper for vegetable soups but some leave them like that without grinding them. They are also ground with onions and pepper with smoked fish and fried as stew for white rice which is simply delicious.

Not only do they add taste to the foods, they are good for the eyesight as well.

the Igbo version of iru is in long and thin strips. I've forgotten what it's called.

I think it's called[b] UGBA[/b] in igbo.

hausa own is dawadawa some people call it dadawa

@ GRAgirl

[quote(second question.,. is there anywhere i can buy snails for cheaply in London?)][quote][/quote]

Deptford or Peckham

eru i don't know what it is called in another language but in those days my mum use to put it in okro soup.

Iru is great, always love it in those days and i look for it everywhere in the soup,

I have seen some hausa women and Tivi making dawadawa using Soya Beans.
I think Iru can be made from soya beans too (cuz i watch the process they used back then, leaving the soya bean to be fermented).

The IRU is seeding (the yoruba way, while the Tiv will blend it in groundstone and use their hand to mold it flat or round)

The smell is funny but the taste is great.

I have a friend who instead of using maggi, used Iru instead. Heard before the advent of maggi, that's what they use. I don't know but
it taste great in Ogbono, okra soup or Efo soup.

I love IRU anyday.

Iru in Igboland is face.
It is used for a whole bunch of stuff.

Hmmm... I bought it once to cook okra soup at my new area, and the women were looking at me funny. Except it's an aphrodisiac, I don't even know why else they were looking like that. OP, avoid snails, sorry.

I think it is called okpeyi in igbo. Igbos make theirs into a big black lump.