Finally, the tomato scarcity has reached its end as we now have it readily available in the market. It was a long and hard journey for Nigerians who had to try out other sauces that did not require tomato.

Nigerians are used to cooking generously with tomato and having stew splashed on every food they eat. Some even add stew to their Jollof rice in order to enjoy it more. The tomato scarcity period was a tough time for Nigerians who had to be creative with the dishes they made in their homes.
People explored various options then while making sauces; those who had parties during that time sure had a difficult time as they had to spend more in getting tomato which was scarce and expensive at the same time. Tomato was even more expensive than petrol and it was war getting it too.
Sauces like garden egg sauce, Ofada stew, Banga stew and others were eaten more during the tomato scarcity period. Most homes also took more vegetables as it was economical for them to do so then. Things were in a terrible state then as fuel was scarce and expensive with light not being stable.
It was unbearable for Nigerians as they could not afford to waste food during that period because there was hardly light to preserve those cooked food items. They were spending more on fuel and had to go for cheaper things in order to strike a balance.
Vegetables saved lots of Nigerians from the tomato scarcity as it could be eaten with many staple foods. All in all, Nigerians missed eating some foods when tomato was scarce. Find some of the foods they missed making with tomatoes:
1. Stew

There is hardly a family in Nigeria that does not make stew in one week. Some people make stew on a daily basis as the members of their family may not be able to eat leftover stew. During the period the tomato was scarce, it was difficult keeping up with the requirement of the family members.
Many Nigerians made stew using tomato paste which is also known as ‘Tin tomato’, they mix the tomato with ground pepper in order to make stew. Even with the innovative method of making stew, they still missed the stew made with fresh tomatoes.

Thought all these groups are working for thesame cause.

Why the division and misunderstanding among them?

Well, na dem sabi

2.Sauce

This is another thing Nigerians missed making with tomato. Nigerians enjoy making sauces for different foods; some would make this tomato sauce for fried or boiled yam, rice, plantain and other foods.
It was a challenge making sauces for these food types as tomato paste will not give them the desired taste. What you do not have is what you miss; it was at that point that tomato was scarce that Nigerians wanted it more.

3. Jollof rice

Nigerians missed making rich Jollof rice when tomato was scarce and expensive. The Jollof rice cooked then was basically with tomato paste and ground pepper as many Nigerians could not afford to buy fresh tomatoes then. Those who bought had to pay ten times the usual amount to get half of what they used to buy before.
All in all, it was a trying time for Nigerians who were frustrated and depressed at the same time. It is a good thing that we now have tomatoes in the markets and things are starting to go back to norm