Longthroat Memoirs: Soups, Sex and Nigerian Taste Buds

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Cassava Republic Press, 2016 - Biography & Autobiography - 357 pages

Winner of the John Avery Award at the André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards 2016.

"A breathtakingly original and fresh piece of food writing, which I found myself compulsively rereading. Aribisala is that rare writer who makes you laugh while also informing you about Nigerian food, which, as she points out, is something that has been 'misunderstood, atrociously photographed, not yet given its due.' Thanks to this book, this should now change."--Bee Wilson, food critic, author, and journalist

"Aribisala summersaults through geography, economics, popular culture, art, history, (and yes, of course, sex) via cuisine. Her tales of Nigeria's many mouth-watering foods are globally spiced with riffs on everything from Yorkshire puddings and Eccles cakes, to the tartufi bianchi, and South Asian red curries. Aribisala writes with verve, sass, and with such humor and confidence that it takes one's breath away. If ever a book deserves to be a bestseller, this is it." --Sarah Ladipo Manyika, author of Like A Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun

A sumptuous menu of essays about Nigerian cuisine, lovingly presented by the nation's top epicurean writer. As well as a mouth-watering appraisal of Nigerian food, Longthroat Memoirs is a series of love letters to the Nigerian palate. From the cultural history of soup, to fish as aphrodisiac and the sensual allure of snails, Longthroat Memoirs explores the complexities, the meticulousness, and the tactile joy of Nigerian gastronomy.

Yemisi Aribisala is a Nigerian essayist and writer. She currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

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About the author (2016)

Yemisi Aribisala is a writer and a lover of good food. She has written about Nigerian food for over 7 years; for 234Next, the Chimurenga Chronic, and at her personal blog, Longthroat Memoirs. Her essays on food are a lens through which the complex entity of Nigeria is observed. Yemisi has also written essays on various topics including Nigerian Christianity and identity. Her essays can be read online under Yemisi Ogbe.

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