250 books
—
13 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds” as Want to Read:
Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds
by
One of the most enduring myths on the Nigerian Femme Fatale - mammy-water, 'winch' or husband-snatcher - has to do with the cooking of fish stew ... A woman can do what she likes with a man When She knows how to satisfy his appetite for food. "Long throat Memoirs presents a sumptuous menu of essays about Nigerian food, lovingly presented by the nation's top epicurean write
...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 357 pages
Published
October 31st 2016
by Cassava Republic Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Longthroat Memoirs,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Longthroat Memoirs
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds

Yemisi Aribisala definitely knows her stuff, the journeys she has taken in this country for food are fascinating. With the result being an essay collection that is witty, informative, heartbreaking and delicious. At least, I assume it is, I am yet to try out any of her recipes (because I’m lazy) but I have my eyes on her Peppered puff puff recipe.
Read more at https://homelandreviews.com ...more
Read more at https://homelandreviews.com ...more

Some really wonderful bits of writing, and some fantastic essays. Very culturally specific and I'm not getting a lot of it because I don't know Nigerian food. I suspect it would be amazing if you do, but lyrical food descriptions generally require reader knowledge to work. My loss. If I ever get to go to Nigeria I'm bringing this.
...more

Oct 08, 2017
Shawn Mooney (Shawn The Book Maniac)
marked it as did-not-finish
Shelves:
did-not-finish-2017
Bailed 12% of the way in. Fun and energetic but too detailed and loooong for me, especially not knowing anything about Nigerian food or most of the vegetables, spices, or other ingredients she rhapsodizes about. Might go back to it later...

Aribisala writes about Nigerian ingredients and soups in the way one would a lover, a person whose tricks, tastes, and curves are as known and dear as one’s own body. She showcases the dynamic, larger-than-life personality of Nigerian food and seats it on its own throne among food royalty.
In each essay, every recipe or pot of soup she talks about, she describes every detail so exquisitely that as you read, you can taste the crunchy, bursting seeds of green, fresh, perfectly made okro, and the ta ...more
In each essay, every recipe or pot of soup she talks about, she describes every detail so exquisitely that as you read, you can taste the crunchy, bursting seeds of green, fresh, perfectly made okro, and the ta ...more

All i have to say is: I'm glad this book was published. And i need more books like this that praise Nigerian cuisine. It was beautiful.
...more

Beautiful.
[edit because I didn't know what to write when I finished this]:
Longthroat memoirs is a beautiful & special book whose main concern is Nigerian food, its gastronomic features, and its importance, pertaining to Nigerians and the world at large. It's a book I'm probably going to read multiple times throughout my life -for reference and for pleasure.
Nigerian food (specifically, soups. Please stop talking about Jollof rice) really is the most amazing thing a person can create in a pot, and ...more
[edit because I didn't know what to write when I finished this]:
Longthroat memoirs is a beautiful & special book whose main concern is Nigerian food, its gastronomic features, and its importance, pertaining to Nigerians and the world at large. It's a book I'm probably going to read multiple times throughout my life -for reference and for pleasure.
Nigerian food (specifically, soups. Please stop talking about Jollof rice) really is the most amazing thing a person can create in a pot, and ...more

Longthroat Memoirs gets top marks for originality. Yemisi identifies a “gap in the market” and sets out to discuss this gap and she does a good job of it. In the book, we read about Nigerian food and the stories behind the food. So, it’s not just a recipe book of Nigerian foods, it looks at the relationship between food and culture and also serves as a travelogue about some parts of Southern Nigeria. Read the full review https://literaryeverything.com/2018/0...
...more

Longthroat Memoirs is a lyrical compilation of essays about Nigerian food – primarily food enjoyed by Cross Riverians and their other South-Eastern counterparts. It's more of a memoir than a cookbook, which I should've guessed given its title, but in my defence I found it in the cookbook section of my local bookstore. Though Longthroat Memoirs features some recipes, I found that the recipes weren’t detailed enough for me.
I really enjoyed this book. I never thought that someone could love food as ...more
I really enjoyed this book. I never thought that someone could love food as ...more

I enjoyed this book. It was eye opening to learn about ingredients and dishes that I had no idea about! We need more books like these. Books that revel in local cuisine from developing countries - African countries in particular. My only exposure to "African food" has been Ethiopian food. I have heard of jollof rice but never tasted it and I knew a little bit about pepper stew only because I have a Nigerian colleague. What a crying shame though! Such a wasted opportunity.
I too want to eat pepper ...more
I too want to eat pepper ...more

Yemisi Aribisala clearly loves food. So do I (but I definitely don't have her talent with it!). And I love learning about food I don't know about and cultures and people I don't know about, so I enjoyed this book very much. I love the way she talks about Nigerian food; it's really fascinating.
...more

3.5 stars
Yemisi Aribisala writes freshly + defiantly (not in this book: “it was not my fault if I looked like butter would not melt in my mouth, like innocence and benevolence in a food processor”).
Read this after reading “Bad Woman Meat Pies”, the author's essay which is a perfect blend of recipe + social commentary.
The essays in this book are just as well-crafted but to their detriment, more food less food for thought. ...more
Yemisi Aribisala writes freshly + defiantly (not in this book: “it was not my fault if I looked like butter would not melt in my mouth, like innocence and benevolence in a food processor”).
Read this after reading “Bad Woman Meat Pies”, the author's essay which is a perfect blend of recipe + social commentary.
The essays in this book are just as well-crafted but to their detriment, more food less food for thought. ...more

Absolutely loved this style of food writing which tells a story behind ingredients and recipes also linking to the cultures. It’s a hard read if like me, you don’t know a lot about Naija food. It’s clearly written for the Nigerian audience but still works, particularly if you are from an African background. I found some of the vocabulary to be too deep English, almost for effect, when simpler words would’ve been more efficient. Great read still

Really enjoyed the patois and observations of the marketplace(s) in Nigeria and the food culture. going to try the author's version of jollof rice (my previous attempt was from Marcus Samuelson). am *not* going to try her okra soup...I like my okra crunchy!
...more

Here is my review:
https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/why-a-ni... ...more
https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/why-a-ni... ...more

This book is an in-depth into the culture and people surrounding Nigerian food
It may be a difficult read if you're not Nigerian as the author is unapologetic about the use of local names and terms. It reads as a romance between the author and the authenticity of Nigerian food cooked with the vital ingredients and not substitutes. In between pages of the love letter, you would find a recipe here or there.
The author is not opposed to experimenting and adding individuality to the food, but she pol ...more
It may be a difficult read if you're not Nigerian as the author is unapologetic about the use of local names and terms. It reads as a romance between the author and the authenticity of Nigerian food cooked with the vital ingredients and not substitutes. In between pages of the love letter, you would find a recipe here or there.
The author is not opposed to experimenting and adding individuality to the food, but she pol ...more

Our soups are some of the best-kept secrets in the world. While the rest of the world has gone on and on about their cuisines, we have remained mute, with out mouths full of food. We love our food but we've not tried to win the world over with it.
Yemisi Aribisala's chronicling of the vastness and complexity of Nigerian cuisine is such a delectable read. You can tell the author is a foodie at heart. Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds weaves together love, sex, history, rec ...more

I know nothing about Nigerian culture or food but I do love food, and I love reading about food. I don't know whether Yemisi Aribisala can cook well but damn can she write. I flew through this book in a handful of days. I am, by no means, a picky eater but there are certain foods that instinctively gross me out just by virtue of being American. But Yemisi made snails sound delicious. She made okra (that hasn't been fried - I'm Southern) sound delicious. I bookmarked all of the recipes and resear
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
News & Interviews
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of...
2 likes · 2 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »