Six back to school snacks for Nigerian kids

Your kid’s lunchbox needs snacks as they make their way back to school. Even if the kids are served lunch in school, some parents insist on packing their kid’s lunch. And for good reason.

It might be their way of keeping track with what their children eat or they see the snacks as something to eat as an after-meal.

However, if the kids are secondary schoolers going off to the boarding house, the snacks themselves and the reason for packing them may vary. The foods served in some of the boarding schools in Nigeria are either not enough or not nutritious enough. So parents pack durable snacks to complement things to some extent.

Six back to school snacks for Nigerian kids

There are a lot of snacks in Nigeria, and below is a selection to pack for your kids’ lunchtime.

Plantain chips

In Nigeria, plantain chips are very popular. They are loved for their crunchiness and sweet taste. And they last long without going bad. So this one is good for your boarding house kids.

Plantain chips are made with plantain, ripe or unripe according to preference. And from it, a variety of snacks are made including roasted or fried plantains, chips, plantain pancakes, plantain pies, etc. You can choose from that variety for the kiddies lunch.

Chin-chin

Apart from its crunchiness and good taste, Chin-chin is a favourite because it lasts four to five weeks if stored in airtight containers. Chin-chin is prepared with well-kneaded dough, combined with a mixture of ingredients like egg, margarine, sugar. It can either be deep-fried or baked. Most people in Nigeria prefer frying though.

Meat pie

A meat pie is an envelope of cooked Irish potatoes, spicy and minced meat, vegetables and carrot fillings as your preference may lead you. It is tasty and yummy. Little wonder it’s popular in Nigeria. Most people use the oven, but if you don’t own one you can deep fry.

Coconut candy

Apart from being a snack kids love, it can also be served as desserts or treats. As the name implies, coconut candies are candy-like, crunchy and easy to chew. Real work goes into grating the coconut itself but the snack is quite easy to make. It can turn out to be creamy or golden-brown depending on whether water was used or not.

Puff-puff

Puff-puff is well known not just in Nigeria but in some parts of Africa including Cameroon and Sierra Leone. It serves as small chops in occasions in Nigeria. Puff-puff doesn’t take much to prepare puff-puff, but these days Nigerians bring more sophistication to it. The snack is delicious and spongy.

Egg rolls

This egg roll is quite different from its Chinese counterpart. In Nigeria, it’s simply egg roll as the name suggests. It is a boiled egg wrapped around into a ball and deep-fried. The secret of a good egg roll lies in how well you prepare the dough. You can pack your kids’ lunchbox with egg rolls alongside any chilled juice.

This article was first published on AfricaParent.com