David Njoku

Random Nigerian fact for you:

During the civil war, Nigeria used starvation as a weapon of war. Over a million Biafrans died, mostly kids.

Eventually, the rest of the world came through with food donations. Norway, for instance, sent a dried cod product that they barely ate called stockfish.

That was 55 years ago. Now stockfish is an indispensable part of Nigerian cuisine. We spend tens of millions of dollars each year importing it from Norway.

I guess generosity pays.

#Nigeria #Norway

Feb 17, 2025 at 9:23pmWeb
Show thread30YrdScreamerFeb 17, 2025

@davidnjoku weirdly coincidental I watched this yesterday.

https://youtu.be/1CHt6Yo6sVE?

Why Stockfish Is So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider

YouTube
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 17, 2025
@30yrdscreamer Wow. I watched that a couple of days ago. I guess that's probably why stockfish was on my mind (apart from the fact that I just ate some 20 mins ago 😃 )
Show thread30YrdScreamerFeb 17, 2025
@davidnjoku I'd never heard of it. But then I guess I wouldn't have 🙂
Show threadTim RichardsFeb 17, 2025
@davidnjoku @si_fuller That's intriguing. By chance I was just reading a history of the nations around the North Sea, and it talked about stockfish as being a valuable medieval export from Norway.
Show threadSi FullerFeb 18, 2025
@timrichards @davidnjoku The funny thing is, there's a similar story about Venice. Pietro Querini and his crew got shipwrecked in northern Norway in the 1500s, and were basically adopted by this tiny isolated village. He developed a taste for stockfish, and introduced it to Venice when he finally got home. To this day, Venice cuisine uses a lot of Norwegian stockfish.
Show threadTim RichardsFeb 18, 2025
@si_fuller @davidnjoku Ah yes I ate some bacala when I was in Venice, and as this mentions it come from Norway: https://www.veneziaunica.it/en/content/bacal%C3%A0-mantecato
Bacalà mantecato

Bacalà mantecato Bacalà mantecatoph. @the_world_digested via Instagram

VeneziaUnica City Pass
Show threadJanne MorenFeb 17, 2025
@davidnjoku
We eat it for Christmas in Sweden, poached with a white sauce. My dad loves it. I'm honestly just as happy leaving more for him, and for you 😋
Show threadDasFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku ha! I didn't know of this connection - but I do like to use canned dace to make jollof (I kept seeing references to Senegalese thibudienne that uses fish, but for me it gets me closer to jollof I tasted as as kid in Nigeria in 80s)
Show threadC.S.StrowbridgeFeb 18, 2025

@davidnjoku

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Sadly one of the leading candidates to become the PM of Canada wants to slash foreign aid and use that money for the military.

Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025
@csstrowbridge Everyone's borrowing from the Trump playbook ☹️
Show threadSanderFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku just read this about Norway stepping in (apparently once again):
https://fortune.com/europe/2025/02/17/norway-announces-855-million-funding-humanitarian-ngos-amid-trumps-dismantling-usaid/
Norway announces $855 million funding for humanitarian NGOs amid Trump’s dismantling of USAID

The Norwegian funding had been intended to work alongside USAID, and humanitarian groups warned it wouldn't fill the black hole being left by the U.S.

Fortune
Show threadHeddersFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku Fascinating! Had no idea. Back when I lived in South London I used to eat quite a lot of Nigerian food so this featured pretty heavily, but I never knew Nigerians imported it from Norway!
Show threadRyan FrederickFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku I guess you could say the US has (had) a similar thing with Southeast Asia and Spam.
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025
@rfrederick True. I hear they love it over there.
Show threadChris KolbuFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku Random Norwegian fact: after WW2, Norway had next to no hard currency and traded stockfish for coffee with Brazil. Norwegians love coffee, Brazilians (and the Portuguese) love Bacalao.
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025

@nesevis I didn't know that.

Do Norwegians eat a lot of stockfish? We've always believed that you don't.

Show threadChris KolbuFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku Certainly used to, back in the day. Less so now. My grandparents all ate it regularly.
Show threadKjerstin GjengedalFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku You believe correctly. We also don't eat much farmed salmon, compared to the ridiculous amounts that go to export. We eat more salmon than stockfish, though. @nesevis
Show threadOliver SchafeldFeb 18, 2025

»Nigeria's love affair with a Norwegian fish«

Never heard of that story before, but here it is from the BBC, 2017.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42137476

Nigeria's love affair with a Norwegian fish - BBC News

How did stockfish - cod dried in Norway’s cold air - became a Nigerian staple?

BBC News
Show threadVicomte Folmer af HelvedeFeb 18, 2025

I read "Half a yellow sun" by Chamanda Adichie not too long ago

Before that, I didn't have a clue about what happened, none of the history books I had been presented with in the Danish schools had anything on the subject, being focused on Danish/European history.

I'm certain you @davidnjoku know the book and the story, this post is meant for anyone else who want to know more about what happened.

Show threadFull Metal AccountantFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku
Norway playing the long game.
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025
@ordrad They're ready for the post-petroleum world. They'll make their money off stockfish. 😃
Show threadSimon LucyFeb 18, 2025

@davidnjoku

My Fact of the Day. I know it's early but I think it will stick.

Show threadHasufinFeb 18, 2025

@davidnjoku Whoa, you mean that being involved in and helping other people has positive long-term effects for everyone?

Man, they should talk about that in the US government.

Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025
@Hasufin USAID staff are probably emailing their CVs to Norway as we speak. 🙂
Show threadHasufinFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku I mean, it sounds like Norway has the skills in-house.
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 18, 2025
@Hasufin Fair point.
Show threadkjetiljdFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku We Norwegians have eaten and exported stockfish ("tørrfisk") for centuries. It is an ancient way to preserve fish, by drying it the cold and clean air up north. Drying, without salting, conserves the fish in a way it can be kept for years. One common dish served around Christmas time ("lutefisk") is made from stockfish. A variation where the fish is salted and semidried on rock ("klippfisk") is the primary ingredient in the Portuguese national dish: bacalhau à brás.
Show threadKatya SanderFeb 18, 2025
@davidnjoku I have worked in Norway for 8 years. Stockfish is a cherished food-ingredient, used in a lot of different ways. It is not true at all that "they barely ate" it - Norwegians LOVE stockfish! It tastes amazing, AND it is a great kind of food to send, because as dried, it will not rot or go bad for months, even years. No need to freeze it or salt it like other fish. It was also used by Spanish and Portogese sea-travellers since the 16th century.
Show threadbitbonkFeb 23, 2025
@davidnjoku @cstross Here is a short BBC article about it https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42137476
Nigeria's love affair with a Norwegian fish - BBC News

How did stockfish - cod dried in Norway’s cold air - became a Nigerian staple?

BBC News
Show threadSoozcatFeb 23, 2025
@davidnjoku I am convinced that no act of kindness is ever wasted.
Show threadDavid NjokuFeb 23, 2025
@Soozcat Completely agree.