In the heart of the Niger Delta, locals call it Ipun or Kumkum. Skewered, roasted, and packed with protein, Bayelsa Suya is more than food β it is heritage, strength, and tradition wrapped in smoky goodness.
Unlike the Northern suya which is thinly sliced and heavily spiced with yaji, the Niger Delta version uses freshwater fish, bush meat, and sometimes periwinkle skewered on palm-frond sticks and slow-roasted over open firewood.
Mama Tari, a 68-year-old food vendor in Yenagoa, has been making Ipun for over 40 years. "My mother taught me, her mother taught her. This food is who we are," she says, turning her skewers methodically over glowing coals.
Cultural anthropologists are increasingly documenting these food traditions, warning that younger generations in cities are losing touch with their culinary heritage as fast food and foreign cuisines dominate urban diets.
Community organizations in Bayelsa are now pushing for Ipun/Kumkum to receive a Geographical Indication (GI) tag that would protect its authenticity and promote it as a cultural export of the Niger Delta.
