Uncooked Women

Chef Wu keeps it spicy in and out of the kitchen. After running a successful Afro-Caribbean food catering business in London, she moved to Lagos to start Oùnję Co. — her hospitality consultancy firm. Braised ox cheek pepper soup, and plantain brûlée are some of the dishes she serves at private dinners, and on the side, she's on a mission to make Nigerian hospitality better ‘One Bite at a Time'. She chats with Ada & Lamisko about moving to Lagos and standing on (food) business.

Cobi-Jane Akinrele wants Nigerian female farmers to get paid. She's the founder of The Aké Collective, a health and wellness company that's making fonio more accessible. After leaving the Cambridge countryside for Lagos, she planned to start an agri-tech business in Jos after completing her NYSC. But, when she met women growing and selling fonio for extra income, she changed plans and business models. Ada & Lamisko dig into her work to promote women's wellness.

Jumoke Toyobo makes a delicious garri sorbet. Known in the kitchen as Chef TYB, she's a private chef and restaurant consultant who serves immersive dining experiences with menus that match her diverse culinary background. From pub kitchens in Portsmouth to Michelin starred restaurants in London, and now recently back from a gastro-tour of North America, she joins Ada & Lamisko to chat about the art of eba and her journey to becoming a chef.

Inside Chef FT's Toronto apartment, you'll find him serving guests fusions like banga risotto with sea snails, and garri tostadas finished with a honey bean puree. What started as a barbecuing gig evolved into Lamuren Inc., his company that curates contemporary Nigerian dining experiences across Toronto, and most recently New York. Ada & Lamisko dig into his life as a product designer by day and chef by night, living and cooking in Canada, and his supper club responsible for putting rectangular akara on all our TikTok feeds.

Mosun Aderinokun, and her elder brother Dare, are the brains and bartenders behind Quacktails - a mobile cocktail bar and delivery service that's refining the classics with fresh syrups and seasonal produce, while also mixing up signature cocktails like the Sapele ginger and the Okoroshi. Ada & Lamisko kick-back with co-founder Mosun who walks them through the ABCs of drinking, a brief history of cocktails, and how Quacktails was born.

Anjola Awosika has one of the most mouthwatering Instagram accounts in Nigeria. If you've eaten it, Anjola has most likely shot it. He tells Nigerian food stories through photography and film and is elevating West African food, one shot at a time. Ada & Lamisko dig their way into his journey from baker to blogger and finally founder of Ata Rodo Magazine.

Ada and Lamisko are officially back from sabbatical! Their kitchen, now under new management, presents the menu for this episode: Nigerian-Kazakh-Surinamese fusion origin stories, lightly roasted ex-business partners, and the podcast lore as the final apéritif. Enjoy!

When Nestle and Unilever introduced Maggi and Knorr bouillon cubes to West Africa almost 70 years ago, they took over an informal umami market run mostly by women. Before bouillon, we used fermented beans and seeds like iru and ogili, to deepen the flavours of our soups and stews. Today, both Maggi and Knorr market their seasoning cubes to Nigerian women as a means to the end of modern womanhood - a mythical destination where women can do it all in spite of the patriarchy on their necks. However, a closer look at the colonial histories that built these companies tells a different story - a story of marketing language co-opted and cherry-picked from feminist movements to advance corporate gain.

In Nigeria, street food means tasty portable snacks like Àkàrà and Suya, but it also means bowls of pepper soup and loaded plates of rice and stew served from the many bukas that crowd street corners. Street food culture is run by the city with the most streets - Lagos, the port city that used to be a center for international trade. These Lagos streets keep most of Nigeria's working population fed, but food in the country is getting more expensive than it has ever been due to rising food inflation. We sat down with Ayoola Oladipupo - a food writer that explores the cultural economics of Nigerian food - to talk about Lagos Island joints, the best spot to get amala in Ibadan, and also to understand why exactly Nigeria's food is getting more expensive.  Follow us on social media @uncookedwomen to keep up with our food adventures 

The West African jollof wars are friendly internet banter about an umami-rich rice dish beloved across the region. When we're not fighting about who makes it best, we're reluctantly agreeing that the region owes the recipe to Senegal, the real winners of the Jollof war.  Food historian, writer, photographer, and all-round jollof connoisseur, Ozoz Sokoh, joins us to talk about the significance of West Africa's favourite dish beyond the plate and across the region. When a grain shortage in Senegal led Penda Mbaye, a chef in a colonial kitchen, to substitute barley for rice in her one-pot dish of tomatoes, vegetables, and fish, she would go on to make West African food history. Her dish was a reaction to a grain shortage caused by the French who were using the farms to grow and export peanuts - a cash crop that has made France a wealthy western power.  On this episode, we're talking about the real Jollof war, the one between Senegal and France.  Follow us on social media @Uncookedwomen to keep up with our food adventures. Learn more about rice in Senegal here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/t-magazine/senegal-homegrown-rice.html

Amos Shackleford initially arrived in Lagos from Jamaica to work on the railroads, but he would go on to make Nigerian food history. When Shackleford started his bakery from Ebute Metta in the 1920s, he would use his business savvy to feed a growing appetite for bread across the country. On this episode we stop by one of our favorite restaurants in Lagos - Jamksi - to eat some hardo bread, the ancestor of Nigerian Agege bread, and also to learn about the history Jamaicans and Nigerians share. Our story starts from a Queen who led a rebellion against the British in Jamaica and takes us to Lagos, Russia and right back to Lagos where we'll make a final stop at the Wheatbaker hotel.  Follow us on Instagram⁠ ⁠@uncookedwomen⁠⁠ and tell us what you're eating Find the documentary here:⁠ ⁠Where Did Agege Bread Come From?⁠⁠ ⁠Jaimacans demand reparations during royal visit⁠ ⁠Chinese Immigrant Origins of Jamaican Hardo Bread⁠ ⁠A Brief History of Jamaica ⁠ The Uncooked Women podcast is co-hosted by Adaorah Oduah, Olamide Oladoyin and Ore Dosumu.

Every bottle of Budweiser or Heineken is made to taste the exact same wherever you're drinking around the world…and that gets boring. Cue, Craft Beer & Craft Breweries — smaller breweries that are popping up everywhere and making refreshing new twists to the world's most widely consumed alcohol. Think pepper infused beers, or yam beer! They may seem new or even outlandish, but craft beers borrow from beer's beginnings — a pre-industrial time when people made beer from ingredients found in their houses, like bananas, rice, and corn. On this episode, we stop by Igbadun Brewing, a microbrewery in Lagos that's following the cue of brewers in countries like Japan & the US, and bringing local flavours back to beer. We also speak with Jon Bazie of Tioga-Sequoia, a craft brewery making cool beers in sunny California. It's all about bringing local flavours back to beer this episode. Enjoy!

During the #EndSARS movement, several small businesses paused their day-to-day operations to feed thousands of people for FREE. On this episode we reflect on the anniversary of the #EndSARS protests and how food and those vendors gave Nigeria the longest protest it's had in the past 4 decades. Special thanks to Taedo Bills whose song - ‘25' is featured in the opening credits of this episode.

On this episode, the uncooked women dig into one of their favourite things - restaurants that provide food they didn't have to cook! We head to the Syrian Club, a restaurant and social club that's been in Lagos since the 80's, to speak with Tamer about migration into Lagos and all the food that has come with it. The restaurant industry has become a natural hub for the migrant population and these communities have not only changed the way Nigerians eat forever, they've also ushered in Afrofusion cuisine - a bold, African forward blend of the many influences on our homegrown staples. To tell us more about fusion and the future of West African food is Nkesi Enyioha, the executive chef of award winning restaurant - HSE Gourmet and her newly opened Afrofusion spot - OHURU

We're back baby! It's a brand new season of connecting the food we didn't cook to just about everything. Join us as we eat our way through Nigerias rich gastronomy and connect the dots between food, history, politics and ourselves as eaters. Stay tuned and subscribe!

The uncooked women take a hiatus to marinate, ruminate and such, but we'll be back in September baby!

On this episode it’s the body for us. Dieting is a billion dollar industry that is responsible for everything from pills to teas, to belts and corsets. In Nigeria it’s a growing industry and the rising pressure to be thin is caving in a history of fat acceptance and even celebration. Many things have coincided to make thin the in thing, so we’re taking you on a journey of religious anorexia, fattening rituals, fat liberation and even neoliberal politics to explain just how we got here. Follow us on Twitter @Uncookedwomen On Instagram @Uncookedwomen and you can find the blog on medium @uncookedwomenpod. You can also find Ore being aloof on @kk5335 and Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah

On the 5th episode, the Uncooked Women discuss Plantains & Pleasure. Plantains are versatile, varied and even virile. A powerhouse of history and flavour. Join Ada and Ore as they chat about the origins of plantain, it’s wide-reaching significance on the continent and in the diaspora and what it’s phallic resemblance can teach us about understanding female sexual pleasure through a critical lens. Plantains, Orgasms, Sex toys, Slavery & Michael Foucault — what is the correlation?! We hope you enjoy. We’re joined by Sisi from Mahogany NG; a sex blog & e-commerce store & Olawunmi Esan, a certified pyschotherapist & trained sex therapist. Follow us on twitter: @uncookedwomen on Instagram: @uncookedwomen & you can find the blog on medium: uncookedwomenpod. You can also find ore being aloof on @kk5335 & Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah

Meat is a divisive food any how you cut it - whether it’s the backdrop for climate change discussions or a basis for stereotyping other cultures. On this episode, Ada and Ore do a historical exploration of our meat eating habits, discussing why we eat only certain animals today, even though at different times in history and even now, certain cultures have enjoyed eating all sorts of meats, from dog meat to horse meat. The pressing problem of the twenty-first century is “othering” - it is the basis for territorial disputes, intertribal violence, the spread of diseases, food insecurity and climate change. Using this backdrop, Ada and Ore use meat to unpack identity politics and discrimination. Follow us on twitter: @uncookedwomen on Instagram: @uncookedwomen & you can find the blog on medium: uncookedwomenpod. You can also find ore being aloof on @kk5335 & Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah Sounds: illusion by Ikebeshakedown, Tchakare Kanyembe track 01, African Moon by John Bartmann, Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Backed Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Past Sadness Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Ghana by Harpo Marks

For centuries humans have searched for foods that make love & sex a little sweeter. In this episode we're talking about aphrodisiacs and how they are entangled in the politics of romance and intimacy. We unpack romantic love to get a better understanding of Nigeria's relationship to it as well as women's. Finally we chat to Temi - @Temiiib on instagram  - a queer and polyamorous woman and get her take on love and sex. Follow us on twitter: @uncookedwomen on Instagram: @uncookedwomen & you can find the blog on medium: uncookedwomenpod. You can also find ore being aloof on @kk5335 & Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah 01 by Lilly J on @mixkit.co, Chill Bro by Diego Nava @mixkit.co  Xaleyi by Youssoupha Sidibe, illusion by Ikebeshakedown, Tchakare Kanyembe track 01, African Moon by John Bartmann, Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Thinking Music Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Ghana by Harpo Marks

Amala is arguably the most polarizing swallow in the country. Its taste, texture and look incite both love and hate, but what can this food, that is actually more of a concept, tell us about taste? In this episode we use Amala to discuss the subjectivity of taste. We explore it’s evolution as the linchpin of survival to the maker of cuisine and ultimately a tool of cultural imperialism. Joining us on this journey is gourmet chef & founder of Ile Eros, Tolu Eros. We chat with him about the cultural politics of taste and perceptions of Nigerian food, the makings of our cuisine and the future of Nigerian cooking. Follow us on twitter: @uncookedwomen on Instagram: @uncookedwomen & you can find the blog on medium: uncookedwomenpod. You can also find ore being aloof on @kk5335 & Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah Sounds: Backed Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Avant Jazz Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Acclerate Kevin Macleod incompetech.com)(incompetech.com) License: CC by http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  I Knew a Guy Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ by www.plugnplaymusic.net Ghana Harpo Marks

It’s a staple in our culture; there when we’re pouring libations to our ancestors, joining families together or simply having fun at social gatherings. Yet, although we are one of the highest alcohol consumers in the world, Nigerians are not big on their indigenous liquors, why is that? On this episode we taste Ogogoro for the very first time, chat with the Head of Research & Development over at Pedro’s Distillery, a Nigerian micro-distillery located in Lagos, explore the long complex history of Nigerian brews and talk about alcohol’s role in a patriarchal society. Listen now for all this and more! Follow us on twitter: @uncookedwomen on Instagram: @uncookedwomen & you can find the blog on medium: uncookedwomenpod. You can also find ore being aloof on @kk5335 & Ada hiding her identity with her full government name @adaorah_oduah Sounds: Backed Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Cool Vibes Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Hard Boiled Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Unanswered Questions Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Thinking Music Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Art of silence by uniq @uniqofficial Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net Ghana Harpo Marks