Starch, banga and owo: what to eat in Delta
Four dishes that define a Delta table, what goes into them, and when you'll be served them.
Ask anyone from Delta what to eat first and you'll hear the same answer: starch and banga. Palm fruit and cassava are the backbone of cooking across the Urhobo, Itsekiri, Isoko and Ijaw towns of the state, and a handful of dishes turn up at every wedding, party and family Sunday. Here are four to start with.
Starch (usi)
Starch, or usi, is the swallow that goes with almost everything. It is made from cassava and coloured with palm oil, which gives it its yellow colour and a thick, stretchy, jelly-like texture that is nothing like pounded yam or eba.
It is a dish of the Urhobo, Isoko and Edo peoples, and it pairs with banga soup above all, as well as owo, ogbono, okra and egusi. Like other swallows, it is eaten with the fingers, each piece used to scoop up the soup.
Banga soup
Banga is a palm nut soup from the Niger Delta, most closely tied to the Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Ijaw. Ripe palm fruits are boiled, pounded and squeezed to give a thick, orange cream, and the soup is built on that, with fish or meat.
What makes it banga rather than any other palm soup is the spice. Cooks reach for beletete leaves, a dried stick called oburunbebe that adds a gentle bitterness, and the seeds ataiko and irugeje. Among the Urhobo and Itsekiri, starch and banga is expected at weddings, parties and big family events.
Owo soup
Owo is a Delta speciality. It is common among the Urhobo, Isoko and Itsekiri, and it contains no tomatoes: palm oil is thickened with potash, and garri soaked in water is stirred in, with fish, beef and crayfish.
It is eaten with starch, or with boiled yam, plantain or sweet potatoes. At a Delta wedding it matters: owo is traditionally served, and leaving it off the menu is taken as an insult to the guests.
Ukodo
Ukodo is the comfort food: a pepper soup with yam and unripe plantain, usually cooked with goat or ram meat. It is an Urhobo dish, spiced with the seeds and barks that go into Delta pepper soups, and it is best eaten piping hot, especially when the rains come.
Where to try them
The best starch and banga is still cooked at home and at celebrations, so the surest way in is an invitation. In town, look for bukas and roadside kitchens in Warri, Sapele and Ughelli, and for the spices and palm fruit in markets such as Ogbe-Ogonogo in Asaba.
Not sure where to start? Ask in the Discover Delta community on WhatsApp. Someone will have an opinion, and probably a favourite spot.
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Sources
- Usi (food) (Wikipedia)
- Owo soup (Wikipedia)
- Banga soup: the Itsekiri palm nut soup (Itsekiri National Congress USA)
- Banga soup recipe, Delta version (Sisi Jemimah)
- Banga soup: original recipe from Delta State (All Nigerian Foods)
- Authentic Urhobo ukodo recipe (Sisiyemmie)
- Meet 5 major tribes in Delta State (Pulse Nigeria)
Last checked 10 September 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us on WhatsApp.
