ABSTRACT
The Tiv cook this dish especially on such occasions as when a man welcomes his first wife to the homestead and is under the obligation of offering a rich chicken stew to the married men of the homestead. The chickens must be caught by the bridegroom (or his agents, i.e. his mother, his brothers, his age-mates), the sauce ingredients provided by the mother and her co-wives, the wives of her husband's age-mates, bridegroom's sisters, etc., and should be cooked by the married men. In point of fact, on such a night everyone in the homestead seems to be out chasing chickens, catching chickens, searing the feathers off chickens and cooking chickens. The dish should be eaten with the typical African 'porridge', a stiff confection of yams the Tiv call luam. It is considered even better when the luam is made of African white sweet potatoes. For the Western palate I recommend rice. I have discovered, however, that it is also excellent eaten poured over hot French bread cut lengthwise down the loaf.
