25th of January 2026, A budding collection (currently with 5 entries. featuring menus from 1910 to 1983, from different sources, related to Nigerian Cuisine.

I recently attended a talk by Professor Nathalie Cooke’s, author of Tastes and Traditions: A Journey Through Menu History, hosted by the Culinary Historians of Canada and the Culinaria Research Centre. I was fascinated, and it gave me the impetus to finally put together menus I’d spotted, observed, but hadn’t quite pulled together - see table below.

So why menus? And why did I attend? While writing my debut cookbook, Chop Chop, I wanted to include menus that helped people understand pairings, and what they might put together for daily consumption, as well as for events and occasions. Unfortunately, space didn’t allow in a detailed way but the thought to menu compilations, constructions as a window into the creator’s thought, but also the prevailing menu items, dishes, and drinks on the menu.

I enjoyed the talk, and learned about menus as marketing, being engineered/ and menu engineering, menus as communication tools and as reflections of the everyday as well as occasions, and more. And that was it - I sat down and over a few hours of research and research, I have created this kernel that I hope we can build out.

How can you help? I’ve included a form below - for you to share any Nigerian menus, especially historic ones you might have.

Thank you for your support - I’ll update as I learn more.