A tangy Nigerian cooking ingredient is cheering the diaspora

THE FERMENTED African locust bean, known in Yoruba as , has an unmistakable cheesy tang that hits you before you see it. “isn’t just a flavour on the tongue,” says Ozoz Sokoh, a food blogger. After an elaborate process of fermentation, the smell is essential to its flavour. is further enriched once tossed in smoky, bleached palm oil.Long before Nestlé came to Nigeria with its Maggi bouillon cubes, was flavouring soups, stews and rice dishes. After independence the cube, with its monosodium glutamate seasoning, became more popular than , particularly in cities. But is making a worldwide comeback, thanks to a dish called which is packed with it.