Quickly Thicken Soups with a Nigerian Evwere Clay Pot

As a child, I spent countless hours in the kitchen, not out of curiosity but impatience. I would stand close to my mom while she whipped up Nigerian favorites like jollof rice and moi moi. The worst nights were when she made my favorite, banga soup. I would watch the pot boil noisily on the stove for what felt like an eternity, filling the house with a mouthwatering aroma that made my stomach rumble.

Banga soup's main ingredient is banga seeds, or palm kernels, which are boiled to soften, pounded with a mortar and pestle to break them open, and soaked in hot water to extract their nutrients. The resulting liquid, rich in golden-brown and yellow tones, is nutritious but very thin, so thickening is essential. After incorporating other ingredients — habanero peppers, meat or fish stock, spices (benetete, otaiko, and rogoje), crayfish, bouillon cubes, pepper, and salt — the soup needs to boil. In a regular pot, achieving the perfect thickness takes about two hours, an eternity for a hungry child.

When I was 8, we finally acquired a set of evwere pots. These small, smooth clay pots, about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep, look somewhat like average soup bowls but completely transformed our soup-making process. While most of the preparation for banga soup stayed the same, with ingredients piled into a standard metal pot, my mother could transfer individual portions into the smaller evwere pots for quick thickening, serving directly to the table. You can thicken soup with mashed yams or cornstarch, but that risks altering the flavor. The evwere enhances the existing flavors, intensifying the soup.

In just 10 minutes on the stove, evweres change soup from thin to luxuriously thick, reducing the total cooking time nearly by half. While this pot remains essential for my cherished banga soup, the evwere has become a reliable shortcut for creating rich, hearty soups, stews, and chowders of all types. Chicken soup, lentil soup, and clam chowder all gain from the use of an evwere — as does anyone who incorporates one into their cooking.

How It's Used

Nigerian cuisine is renowned for its abundant rich soups and stews, often thickened with leafy greens, ground melon seeds, tomatoes, onions, and generous portions of meat and seafood. These soups are typically enjoyed with starchy sides like pounded yam or processed cassava, including garri, fufu, or starch. Since banga soup is naturally thin, an evwere is essential for achieving the hearty consistency that complements these starchy accompaniments.

The pot originates from the Isoko tribe in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria, an area filled with palm tree plantations that yield ample kernels for banga soup. It can be found in nearly every kitchen in Isokoland and among Isoko communities worldwide. The pot is even employed at events to serve important guests, acting as a status symbol that signifies a commitment to authenticity.

Although you could fit two smaller portions in an evwere, the pot is designed for single servings, much like a personal pizza or mug cake. When placed in the cool water below, the evwere sizzles, accompanied by the tuk tuk tuk sound of the bubbling soup, momentarily floating like a buoy before settling down. Guests can then observe their soup thickening right before their eyes.

Why Everyone Needs One

Various cultures have their own interpretations of the evwere. The Japanese utilize the donabe, while Moroccans favor the tagine. Although these pots are versatile enough for rice or hearty lamb with vegetables, they often require more time to heat and prepare meals. The evwere, however, is purposefully designed for soup, excelling at its singular task and completing it in just minutes.

Straddling the line between tableware and cookware, the evwere serves as a connection from the stove to the dining table. Its material efficiently retains and radiates heat, allowing soup to keep boiling and thickening even after being taken off the heat and presented to guests. Many versions feature flared, flat edges, making it easy to handle with potholders or towels. Typically, it includes a flat, saucer-like base made of clay, which holds about an inch of cold water to cool the bottom of the evwere, protecting your countertop or table.

As you cook with the pot, the clay absorbs flavors much like a well-seasoned skillet, enhancing the richness of each bowl of soup over time. Its appearance improves as well; while a new pot might range from dark brown to black, regular use allows the clay to develop a weathered charm, becoming a unique signature of the cook.

It’s dishwasher-safe and can also be cleaned with soap and a sponge. Its compact size means it can fit into nearly any cupboard, yet it’s attractive enough to display on a kitchen shelf.

How to Obtain One

You can find an evwere at open-air markets throughout Nigeria, particularly in the Isoko region and Delta State. In the United States, some African grocery stores stock them, although you may need to visit several shops to locate one. Alternatively, you can also order one online here.

Jiji Ugboma is a writer and the founder of Clever-ish Magazine.