“Nigerians and food!” I practically exclaimed when a basket of smoked snakes was unveiled before me.Out of curiosity i decided to visit the famous Snake Market in Badagry, Lagos state.
“They bring the snakes from the Republic of Benin,” says Bati who has been selling it in the Badagry market (near Nigeria’s border with Benin) for many years now. And customers come from across South-West Nigeria like Ondo and Oyo state to buy.
“People really love snake! They come from far and wide to eat!” says one young woman is buying a large bag, full of snakes “We buy from here and then use it to cook as Pepper Soup… its tastes delicious and sweet – it tastes like fish.”
While most people are rightly scared of snakes and their poisonous venom for Nigerians and African Food they can make a tasty dish.
Enormous bags of hundreds of different shapes, lengths and sizes of snakes and customers (mostly women who own restaurants) all rush to the bags and grab as many as they can as fast as they can – before they are sold out. The Snake market is just outside of Lagos in Badagry.
One large snake can cost up to 1400 Naira ($9) and the small snake can cost as little as 500 Naira ($3). Eating snake is popularly thought of as good for the body – “if you eat snake, you will get more strength and look more healthy,” Odunayo explains.
So disgusting what some people can take into their system, all in the name of satisfying one's appetite.
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