Countries such as Nigeria were not accustomed to using wheat flour until the arrival of the British, as wheat was not cultivated. Instead of wheat, they used wet bean or rice flour, obtained after hydration for softening and subsequent pounding.
This dish is of Yoruba origin, an ethnic group of eminent presence in Nigeria, and seems to be related to falafel, which also consists of grinding a legume, in this case chickpeas.
This kind of fritter with salty and spicy touches spread all over the country, frying in street stalls and being especially demanded as breakfast on weekends.
Akara was brought by African slaves to the New World, being present in Brazil as acarajé with a filling in some cases or topped with different ingredients in others, as an evolution of the traditional recipe.
