Abak Atama Soup recipe

Abak soup 02 (Image: Psalmbusy, CC BY-SA 4.0) | |
| Cuisine | Nigerian cuisine |
| Recipe origin | Ibibio origin |
| Yield | 4 plates |
| Servings | 4–6 people |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Difficulty | |

Abak Atama Soup is a traditional dish of the Efik people and Ibibio people of Southern Nigeria, especially in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. It is a rich palm fruit soup made with Atama leaves, which give it a distinct aroma and flavour.

The soup is similar to other Nigerian palm fruit soups but stands out because of the unique use of Atama leaves and its deep, earthy taste.[1][2]

Ingredients

• 1 kg assorted meat
• 2 smoked fish
• 1 cup periwinkles
• 2 medium snails (optional)
• 1 cup ground crayfish
• 500 g palm fruit extract
• 1 bunch fresh atama leaves
• 1 piece uyayak (Aidan fruit)
• 2–3 seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 4 cups of Water

Equipment

• Large cooking pot
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Bowl
• Blender or grinding stone
• Wooden spoon
• Colander or sieve

Procedures

Preparing the ingredients

[3]

1.Wash the meat thoroughly and season with salt and seasoning cubes.

2.Cook the meat until tender and reserve the stock.

3.Clean the fish, snails, and periwinkles thoroughly.

4.Wash and finely shred or grind the atama leaves.

Cooking

6.Pour the palm fruit extract into a cooking pot and bring to a gentle boil.

7.Add the cooked meat, fish, snails, and periwinkles.

8.Add crayfish, pepper, seasoning cubes, and uyayak.

9.Allow the soup to cook for 10–15 minutes.

10.Add the shredded atama leaves and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

11.Stir gently and adjust seasoning with salt.

12.Simmer until the soup reaches the desired consistency.

Serving

Serve hot with:

• Pounded yam
• Fufu
• Eba
• Semolina
• Wheat meal

Variations

• Fresh fish may be used instead of smoked fish.
• Some cooks add shrimp or other seafood.
• Dried atama leaves may be used when fresh leaves are unavailable.

Tips

• Fresh atama leaves provide a stronger aroma than dried leaves.
• Avoid overcooking the leaves to preserve their flavour.
• The soup is traditionally prepared with palm fruit extract rather than ordinary palm oil.

References

• ↑ "Abak Atama Soup". All Nigerian Recipes. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
• ↑ Nigeria, Guardian (2019-07-07). "How To Prepare The Delicious Abak Atama Soup". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
• ↑ "Abak Atama Soup". Knorr Nigeria. Unilever. Retrieved 2026-06-06.

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