A Nigerian restaurateur, Iyabode Popoola earns accolades for her signature edible snail delicacy in the United Kingdom
• Yeye Iyabode Popoola.
Mention the name Iyabode Popoola to anyone on the streets of London and you will get a void response. But with a whiff of Iyabo Onigbin, one out of any four taxi drivers will chauffeur you straight to her South East, London restaurant. Popoola’s popularity did not stem from a criminal notoriety or any negative proclivity, as many Nigerians abroad are wont to be. Rather it arose from her culinary dexterity at, and business acumen in one delicacy: Snail. The Yoruba word for snail is igbin. Popoola, famously known as Yeye Onigbin (the grandmistress of snail) has gained fame and relative wealth through her sublime skills in preparing fried snails in sauce – Igbin Alata Suesue – to the growing community of Nigerian residents and migrants in Britain who desire their homestead delicacy. Among scores of Nigerian restaurants in the London metropolis, Popoola has made her snail dish a unique, inevitable offer, as confirmed by many Nigerians living in the European city. Her savvy in preparing the delicacy has made her 2001 Restaurant, located at 201 Lewisham Way, South East 4 1UY, London, a must visit for many Africans, especially enthusing Nigerians who want to catch fun enjoying the subtleties of spiced snail over chilled drinks.
Iyabo Onigbin’s place, which opened in the 1990s, is always jampacked with patrons. It has even been upgraded into a hangout where a live band entertains every weekend, starting from Thursday till Sunday, all by the lure of snail. “When I took my cousin who came on a two-week course to the UK and two of my close buddies to Iyabo Onigbin’s restaurant in Lewisham the other day, my cousin was beside himself over the snail delicacy that yeye presented to accompany his chilled Gulder drink,” said Wale Akin, a Nigerian London resident.
Sources close to Yeye Onigbin revealed that she sources her giant snails from Nigeria and, sometimes, from the popular Dalston Street market in East London. Her prices don’t come cheap, though. For a round of three pieces of well-grilled and spiced giant snails, a customer will part with 12 pounds or more. And some customers order for as many as three rounds. “Many patrons travel for an hour or more from different parts of London and beyond to savour the taste of her special snail, not minding the cost. Sometimes, I leave my area outside London all to catch the fun, listen to the live bands that play there, mainly for the reason of having a taste of her snail, “ Soji Farounbi, another London resident holidaying in Nigeria told theNEWS.
While the woman has added some other Nigerian delicacies like suya, nkwobi and asun to her list for varieties, it is, indeed, her signature snail offer that attracts most patrons to her restaurant.
Popoola is being a good ambassador of Nigeria in London, flaunting a delicacy that is at home here increasingly being a status symbol of sort. Igbinedion or onigbinde are two of the many nicknames that enthusiasts of sauced snail have accorded it in Nigeria. The growing popularity of the snail dish may not be unconnected with the growing awareness about its high nutritious value among the elites and the middle class, most of who are educated. The snail is highly proteinous; some say it actually contains the highest protein calories of all edible animals. It is also rich in vitamins, iron, calcium and other minerals and is remarkably very low on cholesterol, a substance which enhances fatness in humans.
—Funsho Arogundade
