Palava Sauce

"Palava" in Portugese means to speak aloud.  Palava also pronounced as plaba in some West African states means to argue. The "Palava sauce" like its derivative is a precise mixture of  vegetables, spices, seasonings, palm oil, meats and fish which arguably make a delicious blend. Winning this argument takes a good hand which comes with practice and patience.

Bitter Leaves/Egusi soup

One such palava sauce is Bitter leaves. Bitter leaves are common through-out West Africa. Depending on the local it goes by different names. In Nigeria alone it has three different names that we are aware of. It is called "onugbo" by the Igbo tribe, "ewuro" by the Yoruba tribe and "shiwaka" by the Hausa tribe. In Sierra Leone it is simply "Bitter leaf "aka. "Bittas". The leaf is known for multiple healing properties that span from diabetes, prostate cancer, malaria etc…