Ozoz Sokoh (born 1976) is a Nigerian culinary writer, food historian, recipe developer, and culinary anthropologist.[1][2][3] She has organized events around Nigerian foodways, including the first World Jollof Day in 2017.
Ozoz Sokoh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 47–48) |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Education | University of Liverpool |
| Occupation | Nigerian food writer |
| Years active | 2007 - present |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
editSokoh was born in 1976 in Warri,[4] on the southern coast of Nigeria. She attended the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria for 3 years, studying Urban and Regional Planning,[5] and left in 1997. She moved to the United Kingdom where she earned a degree in Geology from the University of Liverpool.[6] During her time in the UK, she began cooking Nigerian food to feel closer to home.[7] According to Sokoh, she created her first recipe in 1998 while living and going to school in the UK.[8]
Career
editAfter graduating from the University of Liverpool, Sokoh worked as a geologist. She began a culinary blog, Kitchen Butterfly, and blogged about Nigerian food while she lived and worked in the Netherlands from 2007 to 2011.[9][5][better source needed] She developed recipes.[8]
Upon her return to Nigeria in 2011, she began researching familiar Nigerian ingredients and their uses from the perspective of culinary anthropology.[1][10][5] She researched and presented a documentary on Agege bread, a staple in Nigeria, for ‘For Africans’.[11]
In 2018 Sokoh created Feast Afrique, an online curated collection of books relating to the culinary history of West Africa and its diaspora.[12][13][8][14] This collection includes a digital library of 240+ West African and diasporic culinary and literary resources.[15][2] She has researched and written about the connections between the foods of West Africa and the foods of nations that engaged in the slave trade.[16]
She organized the first World Jollof Day in 2017.[17] The festival is held to celebrate Jollof rice, a dish that is ubiquitous in West Africa and the region's best known dish worldwide.[18] She has created ‘Eat The Book’ experiences, celebrating African food from African writing by creating the dishes at literary and arts festivals.[19][20] She was the co-organiser of Abori Food System Design Summit, which was held at Alliance Française, Lagos in 2019 and featured food exhibitions, discussions and a farmer's market.[21]
In 2020, while a Forecast mentee, Sokoh produced Coast to Coast, a documentary about the spread of West African food through the diaspora.[2][8]
Personal life
editAs of 2021 Sokoh lived in Ontario, Canada.[6][8] She has children.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "The Lagos blogger delivering delicious dishes". CNN African Voices. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Patterson, J.R. (2021-08-24). "These Chefs Are on a Mission to Decolonize West African Food". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ "How Food Connects Us To Our Origin". Channels Television. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-10-11. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ "Ozoz Sokoh". SMO Contemporary Art.
- ^ a b c d Alumona, Kingsley (23 February 2019). "I Spend My Days Exploring Many Dimensions Of Food —Ozoz Sokoh". Tribune Nigeria. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Ozoz Sokoh". The Spruce Eats. Dot Dash. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "INDLU with KitchenButterfly". Nubia Africa. 12 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Adeniji, Adedoyin (25 July 2021). "Meet Ozoz Sokoh, the Culinary Historian Creating a Digital Archive of West African Food". The Kitchn.
- ^ "West International Full Episode #9". YouTube. Holland Expats. 13 March 2013. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Introducing Feast Afrique, Ozoz Sokoh's Digital Archive of African Culinary Excellence". Brittle Paper. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Where Did Agege Bread Come From?". YouTube. For Africans. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Decolonising culinary legacy of West African food, one recipe at a time". TRT World. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Debczak, Michele (23 February 2021). "Feast Afrique, A Digital Archive Dedicated to West African Cuisine, Is Now Online". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Feast Afrique dives into African culinary delights". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ Madurga, Lucia Diaz. "Feast Afrique: A free online library with the culinary history of West Africa". National Geographic. RBA. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Culture Diaries: Ozoz Sokoh – Program of African Studies". Northwestern University. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ^ "Lagos food festival shows off Nigeria's 'Jollof' muscle". Africa News. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ "The History of Jollof Rice". World Jollof Day. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Africa: Ake Festival - Africa's Leading International Book Festival". Ake Festival. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Eat The Book". Ake Festival. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Abori Summit". Abori Summit. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.