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Hello,

I was recently at an African dinner and had a dish called Engusi - meat in a sauce. Can you please tell me what Engusi (or the meat) was?


Thanks!!!

Hello sarafina

I think what you probably had was a Nigerian dish which incorporated egusi 'soup'. As far as I know egusi is pumpkin seed and often eaten by the Ibo people of Nigeria though other ethnic groups eat it too.

I would have no idea what the meat was - you would have to ask your hosts - different people use different meats.

Hope that you enjoyed it!

Egusi is melon seed (a different specie from watermelon and the seeds look very much like pumpkin seeds). The seeds are dried and shelled, shaft is separated and then it's ground into a powder/paste.
The powder/paste is cooked in palm oil with tomatoes and pepper. Any kind of meat/fish can be used.
Egusi soup is a staple both amongst the Ibos and Yorubas in Nigeria.