Origin Of Amala And Gbegiri: Akintokunbo Adejumo

Amala and Gbegiri- Origin.
Ladies and Gentlemen, from extensive and
empirical research, it has been established that
Amala and Gbegiri are 100% Yoruba food.
Amala was first prepared by Aduke Agbedegbeyo,
omo onile ire, opomoja ilekan, omo yakooyo, omo
alokolaro of Abule Onipaki in Atakumosa Local
Government area of Osun state in 1052, in the
days when Sango was the Alaafin of Oyo and
Oya was his wife. That was the very year Sango
spat fire for the first time.
Gbegiri on the other hand was first prepared by
Anike Onibudo, omo ajanlekoko, omo igi tin wo
l’oko tin pa ara ile, omo Aja tin jin, tin pa ero
ona. Omo Ajanaku tii mi igbo kiji kiji. She
prepared Gbegiri for the first time in 1156 at
Tonkere village in Ibadan West Local Government
area of Oyo State. That was the time Timi
Agbale Olofa Ina, Okunrin bi Okuta was the Timi
of Ede and his conflict with Gbonkaa of Oyo
empire was at its peak.
The first portion of Gbegiri was tasted by Alabi
Abolonjeku, omo buje budanu of Molete in
Ibadan. You guessed right!! Abolonjeku happens
to be one of the fore-fathers of late Pa Adedibu,
the Exponent of Amala Politics. It was
Abolonjeku of Molete that first combined the two
- Amala and Gbegiri - when he visited Tonkere on
one of his culinary-related visits across the Oyo
Empire in 1156.
I had to go through this much pain to explain this
before one inbred Rhesus Monkey abi Spectacle-
wearing Orangutan will come on CNN to say that
this Yoruba specialty food originated in Futa-
Jalon and was introduced to the Yoruba's by a
white missionary woman and that the best
version is made in Botswana.
Sista mi, Broda mi, e maa j’amala lo. Ko sewu!
Courtesy of my Oluyole Sista, Ronke Soares