Juliet Tontoye: Why Are We Renaming Nigerian Food to Make It Sound More Western?

The Battle for Nigerian Food Identity: Why Garri Deserves Its Name

When “Cassava Grits” showed up on a recent Nigerian food brand advertisement, cultural commentator Juliet Tontoye had to pause and ask: What happened to Garri? The incident sparked a broader conversation about why Nigerian cuisine is being rebranded with Western-friendly names, and what we’re losing in the process.

Garri isn’t just cassava flour—it’s a cultural artifact with roots stretching from Northern Nigeria to West Africa and back to Portuguese-era Brazil. The word likely evolved from the Hausa term “Garin,” used to describe any powdery grain-based food. Through centuries of inter-cultural trade, Garin became Garri, and that powdered cassava became a staple across Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon, Togo, and Benin. The food itself tells a story of the trans-Atlantic exchange: cassava arrived in West Africa via Portuguese traders in the 16th century, but it wasn’t until enslaved Africans returned from Brazil that West Africans learned the fermentation and roasting techniques that create the Garri we know today.

But here’s what makes this naming debate critical: while Asian cuisines proudly export Kimchi, Miso, and Gochugaru without anglicizing them, and while European countries legally protect food names like Champagne and Parmigiano-Reggiano through Geographical Indication laws, Nigerian brands are voluntarily erasing their own cultural markers. Tontoye argues this isn’t just about marketing—it’s about custodianship. When Akara becomes “bean fritters” and Abacha becomes “African salad,” we’re not making our culture more accessible; we’re making it invisible. The question isn’t whether Nigerian cuisine can evolve with global markets, but whether that evolution requires stripping away the very names our ancestors preserved through migration, colonization, and centuries of change.

The message is clear: it’s Garri, not cassava grits. It’s Moi-Moi, not bean cake. And protecting these names isn’t resistance to progress—it’s respect for the people who kept the recipes alive.

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