It is no news that bread has always been a staple in this part of the world. Several families would have it every morning for breakfast. Whether it is sliced or unsliced, Agege or fancy loaf, White or brown, bread is part of our daily existence. The Holy Scriptures even attests to this when it says, “Man shall not live by bread alone…”. Particularly in this Tinubu’s regime, bread is essential for survival as it is both a lifesaver and a money saver (yes, even despite the rise).
Now the usual bread combination choices include eggs (fried or boiled), porridge beans, any spread of choice (e.g jam, butter, etc.), stew, sausages, or sardines, with any fluid of choice to chug it all down. There are also some cultists who pair it with noodles, local soups like efo riro, egusi, or even pasta. That is a topic of discourse for another day.
Regardless, human beings are known for their innovation and penchance for trying out new things. It is this spirit of innovation that has led some noble people to find new ways to liven up how they eat their bread. There is a reason the saying goes “variety is the spice of life”. It is because persistent sameness is often synonymous to boredom, and sometimes, just a little change is needed to spark life again.
Consequently, since we have agreed that every now or then you might find yourself consuming this staple food commodity, you might as well just attempt new combinations that will help you enjoy your bread while still maintaining a budget. Fortunately for you, I will be kind enough to be your tour guide on this mind journey:
1. Bread, chocolate spread and roasted plantains (a.k.a bole)
Imagine you find yourself with your favourite loaf of bread, a sachet of chocolate spread, and roasted plantains. What would your choice be? To eat the roasted plantains and bread as separate meals, or to combine everything as one meal? The former might have been your go-to choice in the past, but because we are learning to spice things up in our lives, I suspect that you would now rather have your bread partitioned to make way for the chocolate spread, then have your roasted plantains sliced into rings, and slip them all in and Voila! Perfection! Trust me, you may not even have a name for this creation but you will surely be tasting heaven in your mouth. You can go ahead to step it down with a chilled chocolate drink to make the experience even more heavenly.
2. Bread and Kuli-kuli
If you have ever delighted in bread and peanut butter, this is for you. Just imagine bread with Nutzy peanut butter, but an even crunchier version. I mean, you have probably tried bread and groundnut so it is practically the same but an improved version. You should try it. You will find yourself going back to this beautiful combo time and again. You’re welcome in advance.
3. Bread and peppersoup
Credit: MBM Foodie
If you know ball, you have probably heard of or tried this combination already. If you are yet to, well better late than never. Whether you eat your bread and down the peppersoup after, or you dip your bread in the peppersoup and slurp additional peppersoup to help it go down your oesophagus, this combination will have you sweating in ecstacy. Your taste buds will actually be singing and the sweating will be its manifestation. To balance things out, wash it down with a chilled bottle of soda, and you will find yourself unable to resist the post-prandial somnolence.
Some of you already have your heads shaking in disapproval at these combinations because you would never imagine yourself going to this extent for bread, or maybe you are trying to suppress the laughter tingling in your stomach because you know you’ve done something similar or even more outrageous in the past. But I bet that some of you just got your eyes opened to the possibilities that exist with bread beyond your usual “bread and tea” or “bread and eggs”. Whichever category you fall into, you should know that you can do a lot more with your bread than you have imagined in a long while and all you need to do is: think about it and try it.
Let this holiday season be your cue to shake things up with your bread and hopefully, you would not be pleading mercy on behalf of your bowels; they were innocent after all. If you survive your experimentation, please be sure to share. I will be glad to join you. And if anyone attempts to group you with the cultists I mentioned earlier, tell them they lack taste.
