I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A few recipes I would try, but actually enjoyed much of the background information to the cookbook side.

Book Review: Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh

Rating: 4 Star

As someone who loves exploring world cuisines from the comfort of my kitchen, Chop Chop by Ozoz Sokoh instantly caught my eye—and I’m glad it did. This cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes; it’s a vibrant journey through Nigeria’s rich culinary landscape, brought to life by Ozoz, a culinary anthropologist and native Nigerian food explorer.

The book dives headfirst into the heart of Nigerian home cooking, featuring 100 recipes that span all six regions of the country. From smoky, spicy beef suya skewers to comforting egusi soup with greens, and from flavorful jollof rice to sweet puff puff dough bites and refreshing hibiscus drinks, the variety is impressive. What I appreciated most was how the recipes are deeply rooted in cultural and historical context—each dish comes with stories and sidebars that explain its significance and origins. This makes cooking from the book feel like a genuine cultural experience rather than just following a recipe.

Beyond the recipes, Chop Chop offers an insightful lexicon of Nigerian ingredients and cooking techniques. For anyone unfamiliar with Nigerian cuisine, this is a thoughtful guide that helps demystify some of the unique nuts, seeds, grains, roots, tubers, and spices that define the flavors. There’s even a handy substitute list for those hard-to-find ingredients, which I found incredibly useful.

Visually, the book is stunning. The cover alone is inviting, but inside you’re treated to gorgeous photography showcasing not only mouthwatering dishes but also Nigeria’s landscapes, bustling markets, and smiling people. These images add warmth and authenticity to the reading and cooking experience.

If you’re a food lover looking to expand your culinary horizons with a cookbook that celebrates tradition, culture, and bold flavors, Chop Chop would be a fantastic addition to your collection. It earns four stars from me—while it’s beautiful and packed with valuable information, some recipes might require a bit of ingredient hunting or patience for those new to Nigerian cooking. Still, the authors passion shines through every page, making this a delightful and enriching read for home cooks eager to explore Nigerian food.


In summary: Chop Chop is a colorful and informative tribute to Nigerian cuisine that invites you to discover its diverse flavors and cultural richness. With approachable recipes, engaging stories, and breathtaking photography, it’s a cookbook that brings the spirit of Nigeria right into your kitchen.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

A recipe book that wants to be the definitive guide to Nigerian cuisine – and I don't doubt it succeeds in that. It certainly makes it a touch too hard to follow much of this without specialised retailers near you, though. After a nicely in-depth introduction to all things pertinent, and a few recipes for inescapable things like the relevant curry spice blend, we have the first main recipes starting on page 39, with puff puff and similar snacky treats. These are probably fully doable in Britain, specific yam aside, but things don't stay that way. The second breakfast, which is the second section, is moinmoin, and we could probably only hope to get banana leaves in big cities here, and they're not right in the first place. We must also ignore the fact certain peppers are definitely called for, of which I'd never even heard.

Mains, salads, rice dishes – they all come, not with a wealth of options, perhaps, considering the size of the country. But you certainly end up with more Nigerian recipes than you started with, and most that is new to us comes with a page or two as an aside to explain things. What really worked for me was the seriousness with which this tried to be definitive – we get multiple alternatives and Plans B for a large proportion of recipes. We also get a photographic spread before each chapter, to introduce us to all the ingredients and see the whole section of the book mise en place. Most of the dishes have a full-page illustration, as well, nicely presenting the colours and exoticism on offer.

Well, I say exotic – cow leg doesn't really sound that exotic, and neither will tripe ever do so. This cuisine seems to be ready for anything, from dried fish to random parts of animal, all utilised and bundled in with a host of spices and similar peppery ingredients. It proves to not just be the meat that is used to the max, either, as a closing section on drinks has one made from pineapple skins.

All told it seems contradictory for me to rate a cookbook so highly and yet to never want to cook anything from it; I shall bear in mind getting a crispy bottom to my jollof rice, and that's about it. No, I'd prefer to leave this to those who can do it as authentically as it should be done, which is just a few too many steps too far given my circumstances. And lack of cow legs. And alligator peppers. This is wonderfully educational, and fabulously inspiring for those with access to many diverse and appropriate ingredients. To them this an eye-opening wonder; to the likes of me following any of these dishes remains a fantasy.

Anyone who has eaten in a Nigerian restaurant knows how unique and good the food is. Anyone wanting to make that good food at home, should pick up Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, an excellent cookbook by Ozoz Sakoh, a Nigerian food writer, explorer, and educator. This cookbook is full of mouthwatering recipes that are actually doable at home.

The first chapters cover cultural aspects, ingredients, basic sauces, and substitutions for ingredients not easily found in the US. Then come the recipes, with their Nigerian names as well as a translation in English. Many of the recipes are very appealing and most readers will want to try several. The recipes are presented in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions that make it easy for a successful dish. The author has also added her comments at the beginning of each recipe giving the origination of or when each recipe should be served, as well as tips for making it.

Although every recipe isn’t pictured, many are and the photographs are beautiful and professional. This is a real plus, because most of us want to know what the finished dish should look like.

All told, it’s fun to learn about different cultures around the world, and cookbooks are probably the best way. This cookbook is full of interesting facts, Beautiful photographs, and yummy recipes for anyone who wants to learn and eat unique foods, such as these Nigerian dishes.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book

This is a very interesting and fun cookbook as I love learning about other people, places and food and this had all of that and more. With great photos that made me hungry, easy to following recipes and plenty of interesting hints, tips and just good information. I enjoyed reading it and now look forward to trying some of the recipes.

A great way to bring new flavours into your everyday cooking and have fun with it, learn from it and taste the life and food of others.

Thank you NetGalley and Artisan Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This cookbook offers an accessible and informative introduction to Nigerian food, complete with helpful regional maps, language insights, and thoughtful ingredient substitutions. I'll definitely try my hand at at least a stew or two, and I came away with a deeper understanding of Nigerian cuisine— that alone made it well worth the read.

Very encompassing of Nigerian food culture. This is as much a book about the food of Nigeria as it is about recipes. And I will admit that I was very surprised by how much Nigerian cooking has been influenced by other countries, but you can definitely see those influences in a number of the recipes. For example imoyo eleja (fish escabeche with salsa). Yes please! That's on my list of some of the first recipes I want to try.

Beautiful color photos, delicious sounding recipes, and a journey through Nigeria's rich food history make this a fabulous book for anyone interested in cooking, or learning more about, Nigerian cuisine.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Chop Chop is a wonderfully vibrant book, walking the reader through the food of Nigeria. Describing regional variety, the history and the wide variety of flavors, all are richly portrayed in a well written and easy to follow prose. Learning about the culture and the cuisine was a journey where I learned a great deal, from the history to the religious influences of the area. The first recipe we tried was the puff puff, and it was easy to follow, easy to make and even more easy to eat! These were a hit with my children, along with the meat pies. They have already picked the next few recipies to try - next on the list is plantain fritters, followed by samosas and the jollof rice! I think we will quite happily cook our way through the whole book, and back again. What a great read, and highly recommended!

Absolutely gorgeous cookbook with beautiful photography and very approachable recipes. Often when looking at regional cookbooks such as Chop Chop I run into the issue of unobtainable ingredients that are hard to locate in the US. I found this to not be the case; a great substitution guide is even provided at the beginning of the book.

The recipes themselves are delicious; the couple I have tried are flavorful and the recipe easy to follow. I'm looking forward to learning more about Nigerian cuisine and exploring more of these recipes.

Thank you Netgalley, Artisan Books, and Ozoz Sokoh for sending me this advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is fantastic! It is a great introduction into Nigerian food.

The photos are stunning, and are so warm and inviting. The ingredients, recipe instructions, and techniques are incredibly detailed, and really helped me to understand the nuances of the ingredients and cooking styles.

I live in a rural area, and some ingredients are hard to find here. Since the descriptions of ingredients are so detailed, there are a lot of things I can find a good substitute for. There is also a great list of substitutions available as well!

There are quite a few tasty recipes I'm planning trying soon.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are interested in trying flavors from another region of the world.