Ofada

Ofada rice takes its name from this village in Ogun State, though the term now covers a group of local unpolished rice varieties grown across southwestern Nigeria rather than a single one. It is short-grained, often a mix of red and brown grains, milled without polishing so the bran remains, with a distinct earthy smell when cooking that people either like or do not. It is traditionally served wrapped in leaves with ofada stew, a chunky sauce of green peppers, locust bean and assorted meat, and it has become a marker of Yoruba culinary identity, appearing at parties and in restaurants where imported polished rice would once have been served. Mills and farms around the village process it.

The main sights

• The rice fields - the paddies worked around the village.
• Local mills - the processing that leaves the bran on the grain.
• Ofada rice and stew - the dish as it is served with the pepper sauce.
• The leaf wrapping - the traditional presentation of the cooked rice.

When to go

November to March for the roads and for the period after harvest, when milling is active. Weekdays are when the mills work. The rains make the farm tracks difficult.

Before you go

The village has no visitor provision; this is farmland and small mills rather than an attraction. Much rice sold as ofada elsewhere is grown far from here. Access tracks are rough. Eating the dish is easier in Lagos or Abeokuta restaurants than in the village.

Nearby

Abeokuta lies northwest; Lagos is south.