After 15 years of living in the United States, food writer—and author of the new cookbook My Everyday Lagos—Yewande Komolafe finally revisited her home city: Lagos, Nigeria. In this episode of Travel Tales by AFAR, we hear the story of that journey and how it helped her heal, and how it helped her reconnect with the Nigerian foods she grew up with. On that first trip back home, she discovered:

The things that make home feel like home, even when it doesn't look the same
A new connection with Nigeria's Yoruba traditions
How food could help her unite her many selves

Don't miss these moments!

2:59: An excerpt from Yewande's new cookbook, My Everyday Lagos
5:19: Her arrival in the United States as a teenager
6:53: How she fell in love with food
12:22: Her first trip back to Nigeria
18:30: How all of that came together in her new cookbook

In the episode, you'll learn more about Nigerian cuisine, Yoruba traditions, and how, for one traveler, returning home was the catalyst for deep change.

Meet this week’s guest

Yewande Komolafe, food writer and cookbook author

Resources

Read this episode’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode.
Learn more about Yoruba traditions in Nigeria.
Read Yewande's column and recipes in the New York Times.
Buy Yewande’s cookbook, My Everyday Lagos.

Be sure to subscribe to the show and to sign up for our podcast newsletter, Behind the Mic, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, Unpacked, which unpacks a tricky topic in travel each week.

And a special thanks to our season four Travel Tales by AFAR sponsor, Avalon Waterways, who shares our belief in the transformative power of travel.

A Food Writer Returned to Nigeria. The Experience Helped Her Reclaim Her Roots.