7 Nigerian snacks that will take you back to your childhood

Or rushing outside to get some goodies after a visitor just handed you some money to treat yourself?

If you grew up in Nigeria, then at some point or the other as a child, you must have had a fair share of a variety of local sweets and snacks. Here are 7 Nigerian snacks you must be familiar with that will give you nostalgia and take you back to your childhood.

1) Kuli kuli

There is no need to explain why this made it to our list. This snack made from groundnut has been around for a very long time; with its variance in shape and size.

Despite the hardness of Kuli Kuli, as children, we’d still love to sink our teeth inside and relish the sometimes spicy groundnut taste. It is commonly paired with soaked garri and sugar or simply enjoyed by itself.

Kuli-kuli/Adunlee Pulse Ghana

2) Baba dudu

Baba dudu is that kind of candy you can’t get enough of. This darkish brown candy, which is usually very hard, is made out of sugar and coconut milk; the mixture is then transferred into a transparent nylon and made into strings.

The bitter-sweet candy is addictive and was called different names such as sweet alagbon, Chalbin mallam, and black Tofi.

It was a treat for every child back in the day, and children would buy rolls of it on their way back to school, and it was very common to hang them around your neck, tearing them off the string one after the other.

Baba Dudu Baba Dudu Zikoko

3) Sisi Pelebe

Sisi Pelebe, a Yoruba phrase loosely translates to “skinny lady,” describing the slender shape of this memorable candy.

This snack is made from sugar and roasted ground; a favourite among kids, not minding how it could get stuck in the teeth as you chew into it.

Sisi pelebe Pulse Nigeria

4) Coconut Candy

Coconut candy is a snack common to many cultures worldwide, but specifically in Nigeria. You must have had a taste of two variants as a child; honey-coated coconut candy and sugar-coated coconut candy.

Both are packed with lots of sweetness and are very addictive. They were usually sold in transparent nylons, packaged in twos or threes.

Coconut candy ece-auto-gen

5) Kokoro

This crispy, spicy and delicious snack is essentially a deep-fried mixture of yam flour or maize flour, garri and sugar.

This snack which is often rod-like was a hit while growing up; then, the only worry was having to wait till the following day to get some more kokoro.

kokoro Pulse Nigeria

6) Donkwa

Donkwa, also called Tanfiri is a street snack made from maize and dried and roasted peanuts. Its soft texture and the way it melts in your mouth are just some of the features that make this snack memorable.

They were usually piled up like pyramids or sold from transparent buckets.

donkwa Pulse Nigeria

7) Guguru and Epa

Guguru and Epa, which simply means popcorn and groundnut, were a pair that children loved to munch on back in the day and even now. They were often eaten from cones made with paper and enjoyed with a cool drink like good old tasty time or Zobo.

Even though popcorns are now made in automatic popcorn machines, back then, they were made with the manual machine that had to be whined. Often the roads leading to school would be littered with it as children munched on them while returning from school.

Many of these snacks are sold by roadside kiosks or street hawkers, although some may say “they no longer make them like they used to” If you want to feel a bit of nostalgia, then you should treat yourself to one of these.

Taste is one powerful element capable of transporting you back to the past and giving you all the goosebumps, reminding you of the innocence and fun of childhood, when the only problem you had was deciding which of these snacks you would pick up after school.