Igbo Delicacy · Whole Goat Head
Isi Ewu (Spicy Goat Head)
Photo: Gino Williams / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
A skilled isi ewu cook traditionally finishes mixing the dish at the customer's table in a wooden mortar, turning the final assembly into a small tableside performance.
Isi ewu is a whole goat head, skin singed and boiled until tender, then chopped and returned to a thick palm-oil sauce spiced with calabash nutmeg, utazi, and ground pepper. It's one of the more premium Igbo bar dishes, often ordered for celebrations.
Why it's made this way: Preparing a whole goat head as a shared dish reflects the Igbo custom of using the animal's most prized parts for special occasions and honored guests.
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