Hello Hivians, Investors, writers and readers, whales and finally gods of Hive. Today is a special day to write because the topic given by Hive Naija weekly prompt.
Imagine there is an alien invasion, and the fate of humanity rests on your shoulders. The only thing that can save Earth is a spellbinding dish made by humans. What food are you going to prepare and serve to our hostile visitors, and what's so special about it that it could save humanity? It could be a cultural dish. Tell us about the food, or craft a story around it.
After reading the topic, I was excited because the dish I’m gonna mention has an old story to it. It is a dish that is used to please the gods. The name of this dish is called “EWA” and the English name is “Beans”
Image source that’s the image source, and it was redesigned on canvas
What’s so special about this dish, You might be wondering. This dish go way back in time when the Yoruba people of Nigeria started giving birth to twin. This dish was always prepared every year the twins enter a new age. In Yoruba land, twin are known as “IBEJI” and they are believed to be the reincarnation of the gods known as “Shango” and “His wife” Beans is always prepared for the twin every year in a special way and it is share among the people to please the gods.
Ibeji (known as Ibejí, Ibeyí, or Jimaguas in Latin America) is the name of an Orisha representing a pair of twins in the Yoruba religion of the Yoruba people (originating from Yorubaland, an area in and around present-day Nigeria). In the diasporic Yoruba spirituality of Latin America, Ibeji are syncretized with Saints Cosmas and Damian. In Yoruba culture and spirituality, twins are believed to be magical, and are granted protection by the Orisha Shango. If one twin should die, it represents bad fortune for the parents and the society to which they belong. The parents therefore commission a babalawo to carve a wooden Ibeji to represent the deceased twin, and the parents take care of the figure as if it were a real person. Other than the sex, the appearance of the Ibeji is determined by the sculptor. The parents then dress and decorate the ibeji to represent their own status, using clothing made from cowrie shells, as well as beads, coins and paint.
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When this dish has been prepared, it takes on a new name and it is now called “EWA IBEJI” There are special ingredients used in making this dish like
- Alligator pepper
- Palm oil
- Honey bean (Ewa oloyin)
This ingredient are ingredients that are known by the Yoruba people and other tribe general to be foods substance that are accept by the gods.
What do we call aliens? These are beings that are unknown to us, beings we don’t know their origins, beings that acts and think differently from humans. Who else possess this qualities if not the gods? So, I’m betting my chances on Ewa IBEJI to save mankind if the aliens are gonna be accepting a dish that would save the human race.
The making of this food takes a very careful process and if you want to know how to make such delicacy, you can read on the process: How to make Ewa IBEJI
In our modern society, due to technological advancement and new innovation, this practice has been forgotten by most people in the city, but people that still lives in the local area still do this practice. This is a special dish that even the aliens can’t resist.
This food can be eaten with either pap, custard, garri or bread. Although, many people eat this dish now a days even without the presence of any twin. There is no bad thing about it, there is an alternative way to make this dish without angering the gods and the alternate dish is called “Ewa Agoyin”
Any of the beans given to the aliens, I’m sure it will please them and they would do our biddings.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my write up. Did you learn something? That’s great.
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