Akara |
Yoruba word for bean cakes, a local dish made
from deep fried peeled, ground beans. |
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Calabash |
A bowl carved out from the fruit (gourd) of the
calabash tree. In traditional Africa, food and drinks were served
in these bowls. They were also used as containers for numerous items. |
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Ijapa |
The Yoruba word for tortoise. Ijapa in West African
folktales is an extremely cunning animal and regularly outwits stronger,
faster, bigger animals. Very often his trickery works against him
and he receives his due punishment but at other times, he gets away
with it proving that brain is better than brawn. |
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Palm Wine |
Wine tapped from a palm tree. It is sweet and
mild when freshly tapped but becomes intoxicating as it matures. |
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Porridge |
Not your typical western porridge, the one referred
to in these folktales is of West African origin and is called ebe
or asaro in Yoruba. It is made from boiled and partially
mashed yams cooked in palm oil. |
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Yonribo |
She is Ijapa's wife and to the best of this narrators
knowledge, she does not share Ijapa's cunning character. She appears
to simply be a witness of his exploits. Perhaps she was one of the
members of Ijapa's family who helped him win his race against the
hare, in which case we can infer she was cunning too. |
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Last updated:
22 April 2006 |
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