Frequently asked questions

Pounded yam flour is dried, milled yam that you cook with hot water to make pounded yam, which Yoruba speakers call iyan. Pounded yam is a smooth, stretchy dough eaten as a swallow: you pinch off a piece, dip it in soup and eat it by hand.

Traditionally the yam is boiled and pounded in a wooden mortar with a heavy pestle. The flour is the shortcut. Hot water and a wooden spatula turn it into a dough that is similar in stretch and smoothness, in minutes. You can see our three pack sizes on the pounded yam flour page.

It is made from yam itself, not from a starch blend. It starts with whole Benue yams, which are peeled, parboiled, dried, milled fine and sifted. There is nothing else in the bag.

The parboiling matters. Because the yam is partly cooked before it is dried, the flour forms a pale, stretchy dough as soon as it meets hot water. We do not publish harvest or milling dates, so we cannot say how long the yam waits between harvest and processing. The best-before date is printed on every bag.

The flour is made from Benue yams grown in Benue State, Nigeria. No yam from other places is blended in.

You can read more about the store on our about page.

No. The bag has one ingredient, yam, with no preservatives, no food coloring and no chemicals added.

Since it is a dried food, how you keep it matters. The bags are resealable and moisture-resistant, so press the air out and reseal after each use, keep the bag in a cool, dry cupboard away from moisture and steam, and check the best-before date printed on it. The ingredient information on the pack is always the final word. Our guide to storing pounded yam flour has more.

"Poundo" is a loose name for instant swallow flours, and the products sold under it are not all the same. Some are all yam. Others blend yam with other starches such as potato or cassava, so the ingredient list tells you more than the name on the front of the bag.

Our flour has one ingredient, yam. It is parboiled before it is dried, which is what lets it cook into a white, stretchy dough. Whichever bag you are weighing up, read its ingredient line. We compare the three flours in pounded yam flour vs poundo vs elubo.

No. Pounded yam flour and elubo (the flour for amala) are different flours, and they are not substitutes. Elubo is made with a gentler treatment of the yam, with little or no cooking before it is dried, and it makes brown amala. Pounded yam flour is parboiled before it is dried, so it cooks into white, stretchy pounded yam.

Amala is darker and less stretchy than iyan, so the two feel different on the plate. We sell pounded yam flour, not elubo. The full comparison is in pounded yam flour vs poundo vs elubo.

It is the instant kind: no boiling tubers, no mortar and pestle. Because the yam is parboiled and dried before it is milled, the flour forms a dough when you add it to hot water and work it with a wooden spatula. Your arm does the job of the pestle.

For one portion, that means about 1 cup of flour, boiling water and about 2 minutes of folding. The directions printed on your pack always come first. The steps are laid out in how to make pounded yam with flour.

Not necessarily. "Yam flour" covers several products made in different ways. Ours is parboiled before it is dried, which is what makes it cook into a stretchy dough with hot water. Elubo, made with a gentler treatment, is a different flour again.

We sell this flour for making pounded yam and do not give baking directions, so we cannot say how it would behave as a baking flour or promise a swap for another yam flour. For other ideas, see ten recipes you can make with yam flour.

Yam does not contain gluten, and our flour is made from yam alone. If you need to avoid gluten strictly, read the allergen statement on the pack, because the pack is the authority on the bag in your hand.

Remember the rest of the meal too. Soups and seasoning cubes you serve with the pounded yam may contain other ingredients, so check those labels as well. If a question is left over, write to us at hello@afrifoodsbasket.com.

The flour is just yam, so there is nothing from animals in the bag. It has one ingredient, with no additives.

What you serve with it is another matter. Many traditional soups are cooked with meat, fish or crayfish, so a vegan table needs a soup made without them. Check the recipe and the labels, and read the ingredient information on the pack. Our guide to what to eat with pounded yam lists the classic soups.

The ingredient is yam. Always read the ingredient and allergen information printed on your pack before you cook or serve it. The pack is the authority on the bag you are holding, and that matters most if anyone at your table has a food allergy.

Check the soup as well: crayfish, fish and other soup ingredients are common allergens. If the pack does not answer your question, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or message (734) 219-0258 on WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and our contact page has the details.

Ask your doctor or dietitian about the right portion for you. Pounded yam is a starchy food, so portion size matters. The flour has no added sugar or fillers: its one ingredient is yam.

We are a food store and cannot give medical advice, so we make no health claims about the flour. The servings we quote for each pack are planning figures for cooking, about 125 g of flour per person, not portion advice for any health condition.

A small difference is normal. Yam is a natural product, so the color and texture of the flour can differ slightly from batch to batch. A slightly darker or paler bag is not a problem in itself.

If your dough feels a little firmer or softer than last time, adjust it as you cook: a splash of hot water for stiff, a spoonful of flour for soft. Judge the flour by how it looks and smells too. Damp clumps, a musty or sour smell, mold or any sign of insects mean you should not cook it. If anything seems off, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with your order number and a photo.

1pFoods is the brand name printed on the bags of pounded yam flour that Afri Foods Basket sells. The bag is labeled as West African yam flour for pounded yam.

Afri Foods Basket is the online store that ships the flour to the continental United States. Brand names belong to their owners. You can read more on our about page.

You need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for every 1 cup of flour and about 2 minutes of folding. The directions on your pack always come first. This is the general method:

1. Bring the water to a full boil in a sturdy pot, then turn the heat down to low.
2. Add the flour a little at a time while stirring with a wooden spatula.
3. When the flour is wet, press the dough against the side of the pot, lift it from the bottom and fold it over. Keep going for a minute or two, a little longer if it looks grainy, until it is smooth and stretchy.
4. If it is too stiff, add a splash of hot water and fold again.
5. Shape it into a ball and serve hot with soup.

More detail is in our guide to making pounded yam with flour.

Start with about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for every 1 cup of flour, then adjust. The directions printed on your pack come first, because flours differ in how much water they absorb.

Recipes you will find online range from about equal amounts of flour and water up to two parts water to one part flour. They agree on the principle: begin with less water, add hot water in small splashes, and stop when the dough is stretchy but holds its shape. A drier pot can always be loosened with hot water, so there is no need to pour it all in at once. The step-by-step guide walks through it.

About 2 minutes of folding for a single portion, once the water is boiling and the flour is in. If the dough still looks grainy, keep going a little longer. Larger batches can take up to about 5 minutes.

Add the time it takes to bring your water to a boil. The dough is ready when it is smooth, stretchy and comes away from the sides of the pot as one mass. Because it cooks so quickly, you can wait to start the pot until the soup is ready.

A sturdy pot and a wooden spatula. The spatula does the job of the pestle: you stir the flour in, then press the dough against the side of the pot and fold it over.

A small pot suits one portion. For a bigger batch, use your widest, heaviest pot, so there is room to press and fold. Keep a kettle of hot water by the stove for adjusting the dough as you go.

Lumps usually start when the flour goes into the water all at once. Next time, turn the heat to low and add the flour a little at a time while stirring.

To fix lumps already in the pot, dab a little boiling water on the lump and squash it against the wall of the pot with the flat of the spatula until it disappears. Then keep folding the dough against the side of the pot until it is smooth.

• Too stiff: add hot water a spoonful at a time and fold it in until the dough is stretchy again.
• Too soft or sticky: fold in a spoonful of flour over low heat and keep folding until it firms up.

Make small changes and fold for a few turns after each one. The texture of the flour can differ slightly from batch to batch, so the water that suited your last bag may need a small nudge. Our making pounded yam guide has the full method.

The heat is too high. Turn it down to low and keep the dough moving: press it against the side of the pot, lift it from the bottom and fold it over.

Lower the heat before you add the flour to the boiling water, and add it gradually. A pot that is catching is a sign to slow down rather than to stir harder.

Check the directions on your pack first. If they do not cover the microwave, use the stovetop method. The method we describe is the stovetop one: boiling water, flour added gradually over low heat, then folded against the side of the pot.

We do not give a microwave method for this flour. Some microwave recipes online use much more water than the stovetop amount, so do not carry the stovetop ratio over to the microwave. The microwave is fine for warming leftovers, with a splash of water and a stir, as described in our answer on reheating.

Plan on about 1 cup of flour (roughly 125 g) per person, with 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for each cup of flour.

• 1 person: 1 cup of flour and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of water.
• 2 people: 2 cups of flour and 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water.
• 4 people: 4 cups of flour and 5 to 6 cups of water.

Big appetites or a thin soup call for a little more than a cup each, and your pack directions come first. See how much pounded yam flour per person for more.

The technique stays the same at any size. Use your widest, heaviest pot and cook in batches. For a big group, two batches are easier than one huge mass of dough.

Because pounded yam takes just minutes, you can cook the second batch while the first is being served. Keep a kettle of hot water on standby. Pour the flour into boiling water gradually with the heat on low, then fold the dough against the side of the pot rather than stirring in circles. Count on about 1 cup of flour per person.

It is at its peak straight from the pot, so cook it as close to serving time as you can. With just a few minutes of cooking, that is usually possible, even for a party if you cook in rounds.

If a portion has to wait, keep it covered and hot, above 140 degrees F, because bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees F. Do not leave cooked pounded yam sitting out for hours. Our answers on leftovers cover what to do with any that is left.

Reheat it until it is steaming hot all the way through, and warm just what you will eat. Add a splash of water, in a pot or the microwave, and stir as it warms so the dough loosens.

Cooked pounded yam is a moist, cooked starch, so treat it with the same care as cooked rice. Throw it out if it sat on the counter for hours.

Put leftovers in the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, and eat them within 3 to 4 days. If the room is hotter than 90 degrees F, refrigerate within 1 hour. Dividing the dough into single portions helps it cool quickly.

Food-safety guidance does not name pounded yam, so these are the general rules for leftovers, applied as for cooked rice and other moist, cooked starches. If it was left out on the counter for hours, throw it away.

Some cooks do, but we have no freezing directions of our own, so treat this as general guidance. Recipe sites suggest wrapping single portions and using them within about 2 to 3 months for good texture. That is a quality guideline, not a safety limit, and it does not come from us.

Get the portions into the freezer promptly rather than leaving them out, and reheat them until steaming hot, loosening the dough with a little water as you stir. Since the dough takes just minutes to make, you may find it simpler to keep the dry flour in its resealed bag and cook a fresh pot each time.

Shape the hot dough into a ball with the spatula, then serve it with the soup alongside. The dough is hot straight from the pot, so give it a moment before you handle it.

To eat it: wash your hands, pinch off a small piece, roll it into a ball and press a dent into it with your thumb. Scoop up some soup with the dent and eat it. Customs vary from home to home, but the piece is usually small, goes down with the soup and is not chewed for long. Cutlery is fine if you prefer it. See what to eat with pounded yam for soup ideas.

Yes. Well-made pounded yam is smooth and stretchy, and it comes away from the sides of the pot as one mass. It tastes mild and plain, like cooked white yam, with a soft texture and a pale color.

If yours looks grainy, keep folding a little longer. If it feels stiff, fold in a splash of hot water, and if it is soft and sticky, fold in a spoonful of flour over low heat. Amala, made from elubo, is darker and less stretchy than pounded yam, so the two feel different on the plate. The flour comparison explains the difference.

Egusi, efo riro, okra soup and ogbono are the soups most often named with pounded yam. Pounded yam tastes mild, so the soup carries the flavor.

• Egusi is built on ground melon seeds.
• Efo riro is the Yoruba soup of stirred leafy greens, peppers and palm oil.
• Okra soup has a slippery draw, like ogbono.
• Ogbono is a draw soup thickened with ground bush mango seed. It keeps thickening as it sits.
• Edikang ikong is made with fluted pumpkin leaves (ugu) and waterleaf, and afang with okazi leaves. Both are popular in southern Nigeria.
• Oha soup is made with oha leaf.

Our guide to what to eat with pounded yam goes into more detail. Several of these soup ingredients are on our coming-soon list, so see soup leaves and soup thickeners.

Soup is the traditional partner, and it is what the dough is made to carry. Pounded yam is a swallow: you pinch off a piece, dip it in soup and eat it.

On its own it tastes mild and plain, like cooked white yam, so most of the flavor in each bite comes from the soup. There is no rule against serving it with other well-seasoned dishes, but because you dip each piece, something with plenty of sauce suits it. If you are new to it, the what to eat with pounded yam guide is a good place to start.

Choose a soup you already know how to make and season it well. Pounded yam is mild, so it works with anything well seasoned. A new swallow is enough to learn in one evening, so there is no need to learn a new soup the same night.

When you are ready to try a Nigerian soup, the classics are egusi, efo riro, okra soup and ogbono. Pick the one that sounds good to you and use your first bag to get comfortable with the swallow.

Egusi is a sensible first choice, because it is one of the soups most often named with pounded yam. It is built on ground melon seeds. We have a recipe guide for it in pounded yam and egusi soup.

Efo riro, the Yoruba soup of stirred leafy greens, peppers and palm oil, is the other classic to try early; see pounded yam and efo riro. Any of the four classic soups is a reasonable start. If a family member or friend has a recipe you love, begin there.

Pounded yam itself is just yam, so what goes in the soup is up to you. Traditional soup pots are often built on a base of meat, fish, stockfish and crayfish, with palm oil and leaves, and many recipes call for them.

Recipes differ, so follow the one you are using. Read the labels if anyone at your table avoids meat, fish or shellfish; crayfish is shellfish. Dried fish and seafood are in our coming-soon range, which is not for sale yet.

It can. A stew with plenty of sauce is the kind of dish you can dip a piece of pounded yam into, and the dough is mild, so the stew carries the flavor.

The pairings we have researched and written about are soups, so we cannot give you a specific stew recommendation. If you try it, season the stew well and cook the pounded yam fresh. For the soups we do cover, see what to eat with pounded yam.

Yes. We have a recipe guide for four of the classic soups.

• Pounded yam and egusi soup
• Pounded yam and efo riro
• Pounded yam and ogbono soup
• Pounded yam and okra soup

For a wider look at what goes with the dough, read what to eat with pounded yam. We do not sell the soup ingredients yet; see soup leaves and soup thickeners for what is coming soon. Coming soon is not a launch date.

There are three packs of the same flour:

• 2 lb bag (900 g): about 7 servings.
• 5 x 2 lb bundle: five separate sealed 2 lb bags, about 36 servings. Ships free.
• 10 lb bag (4.5 kg): about 36 servings. Ships free.

Servings are counted at about 125 g, roughly 1 cup, of flour per person. All three are on the pounded yam flour page.

If you have never cooked pounded yam from flour, start with the 2 lb bag. It makes about 7 servings, enough to learn the texture you like before you buy more. One bag ships at a flat rate, which is shown in the basket and at checkout before you pay.

If you already know you enjoy it, cook it every week or plan to share, the bundle or the 10 lb bag each ship free on their own. The flour is the same in every pack. Start with the 2 lb bag if you are unsure.

It is five separate, sealed 2 lb bags sold together, ten pounds of flour in all. You open one bag and the other four stay sealed until you need them.

Each bag makes about 7 servings, so the bundle is about 36 servings. It counts as five bags for the free shipping rule, so it ships free. Because the bags are separate, you can also split it with family or friends and hand over bags unopened. See the bundle page.

It is the same flour and the same 4.5 kg, packed differently. The bundle is five sealed 2 lb bags. The 10 lb bag is one single bag. Both make about 36 servings and both ship free.

Choose by how you store and share. The bundle suits you if you like opening a fresh bag every few weeks or plan to split it. The 10 lb bag suits crowds and weekly cooks who want one scoop-and-go bag, since one bag gives you about 36 servings.

Free shipping starts at the equivalent of five 2 lb bags, and both of these hold that much flour. The bundle counts as five bags, and the 10 lb bag equals five 2 lb bags, so each one qualifies on its own.

Smaller orders pay a flat shipping charge, shown in the basket and at checkout before you pay. Free shipping applies within the continental US: the lower 48 states and Washington, DC. See shipping and returns for the full details.

At about 1 cup of flour per person per meal, here is a rough guide:

• One person, pounded yam once a week: a 2 lb bag lasts about seven weeks.
• A couple, once a week: a 2 lb bag lasts about three to four weeks, and a bundle or 10 lb bag (about 36 servings) lasts about 18 weeks.
• A family of four, once a week: a bundle or 10 lb bag lasts about 9 weeks.

These are rough estimates, and bigger appetites shorten them. The best-before date printed on each bag sets the real limit, so use the earliest date first.

Plan on about 1 cup (roughly 125 g) of flour per person, and add a cup or two if guests are big eaters or the soup is light.

• 10 people: about 10 cups, so two 2 lb bags (about 7 cups each) cover it.
• 20 people: about 20 cups, a little over half of a 10 lb bag or a bundle.
• 30 people: about 30 cups, so one 10 lb bag or bundle covers it (about 36 servings).

Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours and usually arrive in 2 to 5 business days, so order ahead of your date. See how much pounded yam flour per person for more.

Yes, you can put different packs in the same basket. The shipping rule counts your order in 2 lb bags: five or more ships free, and both the bundle and the 10 lb bag count as five.

That means adding a bundle or a 10 lb bag to any order brings it to free shipping. A smaller mix pays the flat shipping charge, which the basket shows before you pay, so you can check a combination before you check out. Start in the shop.

Yes. The bags are resealable and moisture-resistant, and the best-before date is printed on every bag, including each bag inside the bundle. Check it when your order arrives.

Press the air out and reseal the bag after each use, scoop with a dry cup, and keep it in a cool, dry cupboard away from steam. For unopened bags, the printed date is the answer, and we do not quote a general shelf life. If you cannot find the date on your bag, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with a photo. See how to store pounded yam flour.

Yes, by the case, for businesses. Wholesale is 40 lb cases (20 x 2 lb bags) for restaurants, caterers, African grocery stores and community kitchens, about 140 servings per case. Case prices are trade prices shared by email.

Request the price list on the wholesale page, and the trade desk emails prices within one business day. You do not need an account or a minimum order to ask. Standing weekly orders and pallets are available if you ask. For households, the bundle and the 10 lb bag are the largest retail packs. The wholesale guide has more.

1. Choose your pack on the shop or on its product page and add it to your basket.
2. Open your basket to check your items, enter a discount code if you have one, and see any shipping charge.
3. Go to checkout, enter your delivery details and pay.

Payment is taken at checkout, and we process your order once payment is complete. You will then receive an order confirmation email.

No. Checkout works as a guest, so you can order without creating an account. An account is optional.

If you create an account and sign in, your orders show on your dashboard. You can also follow a delivery without an account on the Track order page, using your order number plus the email or phone number you used at checkout.

You will receive an order confirmation email. That email is how you know we have your order. Under our terms, an order is an offer to buy, and it is accepted when we confirm it by email or ship it.

When the order ships, you get another email with your tracking number. If you ordered while signed in, you can also see the order on your dashboard.

Look in your spam or junk folder, and check that the email address you typed at checkout was correct. If you ordered while signed in, your dashboard will show the order.

If you still cannot find it, contact us by email or phone with the name and email address you used. We reply within one business day and will check whether your order came through.

Contact us straight away. We ship orders within 24 to 48 hours, so the window is short, and we cannot promise that a change or cancellation will be possible.

Call or WhatsApp (734) 219-0258 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm) or email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com, and have your order number ready. If the order has already shipped, our returns policy still applies: an unused, unopened bag may be returned within 15 days of purchase.

Contact us straight away. If your order has not shipped yet, we will try to help, but we cannot promise a change. Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours, and once an order has shipped we are not able to change the address.

Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or call or WhatsApp (734) 219-0258 with your order number and the correct address. To avoid the problem, check the address on the checkout page before you pay. The new address also needs to be in the continental US (the lower 48 states or Washington, DC).

Yes. Enter the recipient's address as the delivery address at checkout. It needs to be an address in the continental United States: the lower 48 states or Washington, DC.

When the order ships, you receive the email with the tracking number, so you can pass it on. We cannot promise extras such as a gift note or wrapping, so if you need something special, ask us before you order.

Our shipping page and terms do not set a minimum order. Each pack has its own product page, and smaller orders are fine.

What changes with order size is shipping: five or more 2 lb bags, or any 10 lb bag, ship free, and smaller orders pay a flat shipping charge. The charge shows in your basket and at checkout before you pay.

We do not publish a maximum quantity. Orders are subject to availability, so a very large order may depend on what we have in stock.

If you need a lot, for example for a restaurant, caterer, shop or community kitchen, look at our wholesale cases: 40 lb cases of 20 x 2 lb bags, with prices emailed by our trade desk within one business day. For any large order, contact us before you order.

Orders are placed online through your basket and checkout, where payment is taken by our payment provider. We cannot promise that we can take an order by phone or WhatsApp, but you are welcome to ask.

Call or WhatsApp (734) 219-0258, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, or email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com. We answer messages within one business day. If you are stuck at checkout, tell us what you see and we will help. More ways to reach us are on the contact page.

Orders are subject to availability. We may cancel or refuse an order, for example if a product is out of stock, if a price was shown in error, or if we suspect fraud. If we cancel an order you have already paid for, we refund you in full.

Your order is accepted when we confirm it by email or ship it. If you think an order was cancelled by mistake, contact us. The details are in our terms.

On the product page, choose the Subscribe & save option instead of One-time purchase. They sit side by side. Then add the pack to your basket and check out as usual.

A one-time purchase is a single order. Subscribe & save gives 10% off the packs you choose and works by reminder: every 4 weeks we email you a link to reorder, and nothing is charged until you check out. You can browse the packs on the pounded yam flour page.

All prices on the site are in US dollars, and you pay in US dollars. Your basket and checkout show the amount before you complete your order. Our terms say the same: all prices are in US dollars.

The payment options we offer are shown at checkout, when you are ready to pay, so that page has the list. Payment is taken by our payment provider on its own secure form.

If you need a method that you do not see at checkout, contact us before you order. We cannot promise to add one.

Your card details go on our payment provider's secure form, and the provider processes them. We do not store full card numbers on our servers. The store uses encrypted HTTPS connections.

No method of sending or storing information is perfectly secure, but we limit who can see customer records and take reasonable steps to protect what you share. Our privacy policy explains what we collect and who we share it with.

No sales tax is charged at present. Prices are in US dollars, and smaller orders pay a flat shipping charge that is shown in your basket and at checkout before you pay. Free shipping applies to larger orders: see our shipping and returns page.

Payment is taken at checkout by our payment provider, when you complete your order. We process your order once payment is complete. Nothing is charged before you reach that step.

Subscribe & save works the same way. It is a reminder, not an automatic charge, so nothing is taken until you check out. If we cancel an order you have paid for, we refund you in full.

Orders are processed once payment is complete, so an order whose payment did not go through will not be processed. Go back to checkout, check your details, and try again, or choose another of the payment options shown there.

If a card keeps being declined, your bank or card company can tell you why. If you were charged but have no confirmation email, contact us with your name, your email address and roughly when you ordered, and we will look into it.

Enter it in your basket, before you go to checkout, then check the basket total before you pay.

A code works as stated when it was issued, so read what came with it. If you are unsure how a code should work, ask us and tell us the code.

Not unless we say so. Our terms state that a discount code is used as stated when it was issued and cannot be combined with other offers unless we say it can.

If the message that came with your code says it can be combined, follow that. If you are unsure whether a code works with Subscribe & save or another offer, ask us before you order and tell us the code.

• The code is entered in the basket, and matches what we sent you, character for character.
• You are using it as stated when it was issued. The offer may have conditions of its own.
• It is not being combined with another offer, which our terms do not allow unless we say so.

Codes come from us when we issue an offer, so look for it wherever we sent it, for example in an email from us if you signed up for them. We do not send marketing emails to people who have not asked for them. If you cannot find your code, or it still fails, contact us with the code and what happened.

Your basket and checkout show what you are buying, any discount from a code, and any shipping charge before you pay, so you can see your total before you complete the order.

Our terms do allow us to cancel an order if a price was shown in error. If you have already paid, we refund you in full.

After you order, you receive an order confirmation email. That is the order record we send you. If you ordered while signed in, you can also see your orders on your dashboard.

We cannot promise a separate formal invoice or a particular format. If you need one, for example for your own records or a business purchase, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with your order number and tell us what you need.

We ship to addresses in the continental United States: the lower 48 states and Washington, DC. Checkout is set up for those addresses.

For Alaska, Hawaii, US territories or APO/FPO addresses, contact us before you order. The full details are on our shipping and returns page.

Not through checkout. Checkout will not take addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, US territories (such as Puerto Rico) or APO/FPO military addresses.

If you would like an order sent to one of them, please contact us before you order so we can check what is possible. We cannot promise that it will be. Call or WhatsApp (734) 219-0258 (Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm) or email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com.

We ship to the continental United States. For any other destination, please contact us first, before you order, and tell us where the order would go.

We cannot promise that we can deliver there, and we cannot give you delivery times or charges for other destinations.

Our shipping page says that deliveries to P.O. boxes can take longer than deliveries to a street address. If you can receive packages at a street address, that is the safer choice when speed matters.

If a P.O. box is what you have, contact us before you order and we will tell you what we can do. More on delivery times is on the shipping and returns page.

Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours (one to two business days) and usually arrive in 2 to 5 business days.

Delivery times are estimates, and delays can happen because of carriers or events outside our control. If a rush of orders delays yours, we will let you know by email or phone. See our shipping and returns page.

No. We do not ship on weekends or holidays. Our time to ship is counted in business days, so an order placed on a weekend or holiday will ship on a following business day.

Once your order has shipped, follow your tracking number for delivery updates. You will find it in your shipping email or on the Track order page.

It depends on the size of your order. Within the continental US, shipping is free on five or more 2 lb bags or any 10 lb bag. Smaller orders pay a flat shipping charge.

You will see the exact charge in your basket and at checkout before you pay, so there are no surprises.

Within the continental US, shipping is free when your order has either of these:

• five or more 2 lb bags
• any 10 lb bag

A 5 x 2 lb bundle counts as five bags, so it ships free. A 10 lb bag ships free too. Four 2 lb bags would pay the flat shipping charge, and a fifth bag would make it free.

When your order ships, we email you a confirmation with your tracking number. That email is how you know it has shipped.

You can also check your order any time on the Track order page, using your order number plus the email address or phone number you used at checkout. You do not need an account.

The tracking number is usually active within 24 hours, so a brand new number may not show any updates yet. Try again later, or check the Track order page.

If it still shows nothing after 24 hours, contact us with your order number and we will look into it.

Delivery times are estimates. Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours and usually arrive in 2 to 5 business days, but delays can happen because of carriers or events outside our control, and we do not ship on weekends or holidays.

Check your tracking on the Track order page. If the usual time has passed and tracking does not explain it, contact us with your order number by email or phone and we will look into it. We cannot promise a particular arrival date.

Contact us as soon as you notice, by email or phone, with your order number. It is worth checking around your delivery address first, and with anyone at your address who may have taken it in.

Our policy pages do not set out a specific process for a package marked delivered that cannot be found, so we cannot promise an outcome in advance. We will look into it with you.

Our shipping and returns page describes one timeline: orders ship within 24 to 48 hours and usually arrive in 2 to 5 business days. It does not list an express or overnight option.

If you need your order faster, ask us before you order. We cannot promise it, and we cannot promise delivery by a given date.

We do not name a carrier on our site, and we cannot promise a particular one. When your order ships, your email gives you a tracking number, and the Track order page lets you follow the order.

If you need to know before you order, contact us and we will tell you what we can.

Our shipping page describes shipping to addresses in the continental US, not pickup. We have not published a pickup option, and we cannot promise that local pickup is available.

If you are nearby and would like to ask about it, contact us by email, phone or WhatsApp.

The flour comes in resealable, moisture-resistant bags, with the best-before date printed on every bag. A 5 x 2 lb bundle is five separate sealed 2 lb bags.

We do not describe the outer shipping packaging on our site, so we cannot promise a particular style of box or label. If you have a specific need, such as sending a gift, ask us before you order.

Yes. Any street address in the continental US (the lower 48 states or Washington, DC) can be entered at checkout, including apartments and offices. Add your apartment, unit or suite number so the address is complete.

We do not state a signature rule on our shipping page, and we do not promise one. How your package is handed over or left is handled by the carrier, so watch your tracking updates once the order has shipped.

If you expect to be away, contact us straight away, because orders ship within 24 to 48 hours. We cannot promise to hold an order, but we will tell you what we can do.

You may return a bag within 15 days of purchase for a refund or exchange, as long as it is unused, unopened and in the condition you received it. Opened food cannot be returned, for food-safety reasons.

If something arrives damaged or wrong, contact us within 48 hours of delivery instead. The full policy is on the shipping and returns page and forms part of our terms.

No. Opened food cannot be returned, for food-safety reasons. A return needs to be an unused, unopened bag in the condition you received it, within 15 days of purchase.

If a bag arrived damaged or was the wrong item, contact us within 48 hours of delivery and we will replace it or refund you. If you opened a bag and something seems wrong, tell us anyway: contact us with your order number and what you found.

1. Check that the bag is unused, unopened and in the condition you received it, and that it is within 15 days of purchase.
2. Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with your order number.
3. We send you the instructions and a return label.

Return shipping costs are deducted from your refund. Once we have received and inspected the return, we email you to say it is approved. If you have a question first, contact us.

The cost of return shipping is deducted from your refund. After you email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with your order number, we send you the return instructions and a return label.

Damaged or wrong items are handled separately: contact us within 48 hours of delivery. The details are on the shipping and returns page.

Refunds go back to your original payment method within 7 to 10 business days of us receiving and inspecting your return. We email you when the return is approved.

The time is counted from when we have the bag back and have inspected it, not from when you send it, so allow for the trip to us.

First, check that 7 to 10 business days have passed since we received and inspected your return, and check with your bank or card company, because the refund goes back to your original payment method.

If it still has not arrived, contact us with your order number and we will look into it. If you never received our email saying the return was approved, tell us that too.

Contact us within 48 hours of delivery, by email at hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or by phone on (734) 219-0258. Please send:

• your order number
• a photo of the damaged or incorrect item
• if you can, a photo of the packaging

We will replace the item or refund you. If it has been longer than 48 hours, still contact us and explain, but we cannot promise the same outcome.

Our policy lists exchanges for items that arrived defective or damaged. If that is your situation, contact us within 48 hours of delivery with your order number and a photo, and we will replace the item or refund you.

For any other reason, such as wanting a different pack size, we cannot promise an exchange. You are welcome to ask: email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com with your order number and tell us what you would like. See the shipping and returns page.

Not necessarily. Our flour is a natural product, and under our terms the color of the flour, its texture and the look of the packaging can differ slightly from batch to batch.

If it looks very different, or you are concerned about it, contact us with your order number and a photo before you use it. It also helps to check the best-before date on the bag and that it has been kept sealed in a cool, dry cupboard, as in our storage guide.

We want to hear about it, so please contact us with your order number and what you noticed. To be honest about the policy: opened food cannot be returned, for food-safety reasons, so we cannot promise a refund or exchange for a bag that has been opened. We answer messages within one business day.

If the texture is the problem, check the water ratio and method on the pack, then see our guide to making pounded yam with flour, which covers a dough that is too stiff or lumpy.

Subscribe & save gives you 10% off the packs you choose. It works by reminder: every 4 weeks we email you a link to reorder your pack in one click at the subscriber price.

Nothing is charged until you check out, and you can skip, pause or cancel from that link at any time. You choose it on the product page, where the Subscribe & save option sits next to One-time purchase. Each order follows our normal shipping and returns rules.

No. It is a reminder, not an automatic payment. Every 4 weeks we email you a link, and nothing is charged until you follow it and check out.

If you do nothing with an email, no order is placed and nothing is charged. You can cancel from the link at any time.

You save 10% off the packs you choose, at the subscriber price you see when you reorder from the link. The 10% is off the packs, and shipping follows the usual rules.

You can see the packs on the pounded yam flour page.

Every 4 weeks. Each email carries a link to reorder your pack in one click. If 4 weeks is too soon, you can skip or pause from the link at any time.

We do not describe other schedules, so if you need a different one, ask us.

Use the link in your reminder email. You can skip, pause or cancel from that link at any time. Because nothing is charged until you check out, skipping costs nothing.

If you cannot find the email, contact us and we will help.

The reminder link reorders the pack you chose. Subscribe & save is an option on the product page, next to One-time purchase, so you choose it for the pack you want.

Our policy pages do not describe swapping or combining packs inside one reminder. If you want a particular setup, contact us and we will help. You can see the packs on the pounded yam flour page.

They follow the normal shipping rules. Within the continental US, shipping is free on five or more 2 lb bags, a 5 x 2 lb bundle (which counts as five) or any 10 lb bag. Smaller orders pay a flat shipping charge, shown at checkout before you pay.

Returns work the same way as for any other order. See the shipping and returns page.

Our policy pages do not say you need an account. Checkout works as a guest, and the reminder is emailed to the email address on your order, with a link that lets you reorder.

If you would like your orders in one place, you can create an account, which is optional. For questions about your own setup, contact us.

Coming soon means the product is not for sale yet, so you cannot order it. The page is there so you can read what the ingredient is and how it is used, and it has a Notify me button for the day it lands.

We have not announced a price or a launch date for any of them. What you can order today is our pounded yam flour.

You leave your email on a product page, and on the day that product lands we send you an email to say it is here. That is all it does. It is not an order, so nothing is charged.

Every sign-up also shows us which products to stock first. Your email is handled as described in our privacy policy.

No to both. Pressing Notify me, or joining the launch list, is not an order and does not hold any stock for you. No launch date or price has been announced, so there is nothing to reserve yet.

When a product lands you will get the email, and you can order it then like any other item. As our terms explain, orders are subject to availability, so we cannot promise stock in advance.

You get one email per launch: a short "it is here" message the day the product you asked about lands. If you press Notify me on three products, expect one email for each of them. You can unsubscribe at any time.

We do not send marketing emails unless you ask for them, and every one carries an unsubscribe link. If anything about your emails looks wrong, write to hello@afrifoodsbasket.com. More detail is in the privacy policy.

We cannot give you a date, and we would rather say so than guess. No launch date has been set for any of the coming soon products, and we cannot promise one.

The way to hear is to press Notify me on the product page, and you will get an email the day it lands. In the meantime you can browse the shop for what is available now, or ask us if you want to talk through a particular item.

Thirty-four more Nigerian pantry products across five categories, none for sale yet.

• Dried fish and seafood: stock fish, bonga fish, ground crayfish, catfish round, panla fish, mangala, tilapia, mud fish, abo fish, asa fish, arira, ogbazuru, yellow fish and snail.
• Soup leaves: ugu, uha (oha), ukazi (okazi), uziza, water leaf and dried pepper.
• Soup thickeners: ogbono, achi, ofo and ukpo.
• Spices and seasoning: Maggi cubes, Onga seasoning, Gino party jollof, Gino curry powder, Kitchen Glory, chicken spice, ginger garlic paste and Arsok spice.
• Staples and oil: red palm oil and garri.

Brand names belong to their owners.

Sign-ups show us. Each Notify me press and each launch list sign-up tells us which products people are waiting for, and that helps us decide what to stock first.

So if there is a product you want sooner, press Notify me on its page. We cannot promise an order or a date, but your sign-up is seen.

Yes, please ask. Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com, or call or message us on WhatsApp at (734) 219-0258. We are there Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and we answer within one business day.

Tell us the name of the product and what you use it for. We cannot promise that we will be able to add it, but we do want to hear what you are looking for. The contact page has the details.

We cannot say yet, because no prices have been announced for the coming soon products. We would rather not guess or compare before they are set.

When a product is listed, you will see its price on the product page, in US dollars. Shipping, if there is a charge, is shown in your basket and at checkout before you pay.

Yes. Notify me is for one product: it emails you the day that product lands. The launch list, sometimes called the waitlist, is the general sign-up for launch-day updates.

A launch-day offer for members is planned, but the terms have not been announced and we cannot promise what it will be. Joining the list is not an order and does not reserve stock.

So you can see how each ingredient is used before it arrives. Many of these products go by several names, so each page explains what the ingredient is, how cooks use it, what to check on a label and how to keep it.

The pages draw on published recipes, food references and food-safety guidance. Where a name is not settled, they say so plainly. The ogbono page is a good example.

We cannot promise either yet. When products launch, the basket and checkout will show how they ship and what shipping costs, before you pay.

Today's shipping rules are written for the flour: free shipping on five or more 2 lb bags (a 5 x 2 lb bundle counts) or any 10 lb bag, and a flat shipping charge on smaller orders. Those rules may be updated, and we will confirm how they apply to new products at launch. See shipping and returns for the current details.

Stockfish is fish dried outdoors in cold air with no salt, no smoke and no additives. The result is a pale, rigid, very light slab. Igbo cooks call it okporoko.

Many other dried fish are smoked, and some are salted. Stockfish is neither, so it needs days of cold soaking and then cooks with the meats until soft, giving chew and a deep savory flavor. Cod is the classic fish, but packs can also hold saithe, tusk or haddock, so read the species on the pack. See the stockfish page.

Panla is a name that does more than one job, so check your pack. Yoruba cooks often use it for stockfish. Many African grocers use it for hake, either frozen or smoked and dried (also sold as eja kika), and one recipe blog calls smoked panla smoked cod.

Our panla page follows the hake reading for the smoked product, but the name alone does not prove the species. Look for the fish named on the pack, and whether it is smoked or air-dried. If it just says panla, ask the seller which fish it is.

Bonga is a small, bony West African fish, known in English as bonga shad (Ethmalosa fimbriata). It is usually sold smoked and dried hard, brittle and dark, with skin that peels away and many small bones inside. It flakes into sauces and gives soups and stews, including efo riro, a smoky savory depth.

Shawa is the everyday shop name for it, but the word is loose, and some sellers use it for herring or smelt. For true bonga, look for bonga, bonga shad or Ethmalosa on the label. See the bonga fish page.

In Nigerian kitchens crayfish means small dried shrimp or prawns, and ground crayfish is that, milled to a powder to season soups such as ogbono and egusi. It is not the same as the crawfish at a Louisiana boil, which is a different animal.

Ground crayfish is shellfish. If anyone at your table has a shellfish allergy, leave it out and tell your guests whether it is in the pot, because a powder cannot be picked out like a whole shrimp. The species inside a pack can vary, and the label may simply say crayfish. See the ground crayfish page.

Ogbono is the dried, ground kernel of a wild bush mango tree (genus Irvingia). It has nothing to do with the sweet mango in a supermarket. Mixed into hot liquid, the powder swells into a slippery gel, much like cut okra, and when you lift a spoon the soup stretches into strings. That stretch is the draw.

Cooks treat a good string as a sign of good seed, and stale or poor seed gives a limp soup. Most recipes agree on stirring the ogbono into warm oil or a smooth slurry before it meets a lot of liquid, then keeping the heat low to medium. See the ogbono page and pounded yam and ogbono soup.

No. Ogbono is the dried kernel of the wild bush mango tree, and its powder swells into a slippery gel that stretches into strings. Egusi is ground melon seed, which gives a soup a rich, nutty body instead.

They make different soups, and neither is a stand-in for the other when a recipe names one of them. Our guides cover both: pounded yam and ogbono soup and pounded yam and egusi soup.

Ogbono makes a soup stretch. Achi, ofo and ukpo give a soup body without that long stretch, and each behaves differently.

• Achi is ground seed of Brachystegia eurycoma. It swells into a gummy gel and is usually stirred into cool or lukewarm water first.
• Ofo is ground from Detarium seeds. Cooks advise dissolving it in hot liquid, since cold liquid makes it lump.
• Ukpo comes from a Mucuna bean, and sources disagree on the exact plant. It needs real processing: the seeds are cracked, boiled for a long time, hulled and ground. Buy it ground and follow the pack. Never cook raw or lightly boiled seeds.

Recipe writers swap the three in oha and okazi soup, though each has its own flavor. See soup thickeners, or the achi, ofo and ukpo pages.

Ugu is the young leaf and soft shoot of the fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis), a climbing vine native to southern Nigeria. It is not the pumpkin you carve. It is a cooked vegetable that goes into soups such as edikang ikong and egusi, usually for just a few minutes at the end.

Ugu does not keep: a plant reference says fresh leaves stay fresh for about a day after harvest, and around three days somewhere airy, which is why you also see it frozen and dried. Cook it soon after you get it. See the ugu leaf page.

Oha, also called ora or uha, is the leaf of a West and Central African tree, Pterocarpus mildbraedii, in the legume family. It is the leaf behind ofe oha, ofe ora and uha soup, which are one soup under different spellings. One soup writer calls the taste tender and slightly bitter, with an aroma of its own.

Cooks tear it by hand and add it at the very end, cooking it as little as possible. Reference articles warn that oha is not uturukpa, the leaf of a related tree, so check the label. See the oha leaf page.

Yes, they are the same leaf under different names. Ukazi (okazi) is the Igbo name, afang is the Efik and Ibibio name, and in Cameroon it is eru. It is the leaf of a climbing forest vine, Gnetum africanum. Two related species are reported to be traded together as eru, so a pack may carry any of these words.

Fresh ukazi is tough and leathery, so it is sold shredded into thin strips. It tastes slightly bitter, and cooks often cook it with water leaf to soften the texture. See the ukazi leaf page.

Uziza is Piper guineense, a West African climbing vine related to black pepper. Both the leaves and the dried seed are used. The leaf is pale green with a spicy, peppery taste that softens as it cooks, and the ground seed is stronger, more herbal and slightly bitter. A recipe that just says uziza may mean either, so read the pack.

Its bite comes from piperine, the compound in black pepper, not from the capsaicin in chilies, so it sits beside chili heat instead of replacing it. It is also not scent leaf: recipes name them as two different leaves. See the uziza leaf page.

Water leaf is Talinum triangulare, a fleshy herb with thick, succulent stems and spoon-shaped leaves, grown across tropical Africa. It is mostly water and gives it up as it wilts, so soups made with it need little added liquid. Cooks add it late and cook it for just a few minutes, often beside ugu in edikang ikong or with ukazi in afang.

It is highly perishable, so cook it soon. Names can mislead: Ceylon spinach is a name for water leaf, but Ceylon spinach and Malabar spinach are also names for a different plant, Basella alba. If the botanical name is printed, look for Talinum. See the water leaf page.

It is not one chili. In Nigerian cooking, pepper means hot chili, not the black pepper in a shaker. Dried pepper is a family of dried chilies, sold whole, crushed or ground, and the chilies behind the name can differ in heat by a factor of ten or more. Recipes often just say ground pepper, so the label matters: look for the chili's name, whether it is whole, crushed or ground, and any added salt or spices.

If a pepper is new to you, start with about half of what a recipe suggests, wait five minutes and taste, since heat deepens as a soup simmers. We have not said which chili we will stock. See the dried pepper page.

Red palm oil is pressed from the soft orange pulp around the seed of the African oil palm. It keeps its orange to deep red color, earthy smell and savory flavor. This is the oil Nigerian recipes mean when they say palm oil.

• Refined palm oil also comes from the pulp, but it is refined, bleached and deodorized, which leaves a pale, mild oil.
• Palm kernel oil comes from the seed inside the fruit. It is nearly colorless and behaves more like coconut oil.

So they are not like-for-like swaps in a Nigerian stew. Cool red palm oil can be soft, semi-solid or separated into layers, which is normal, not spoilage. See the red palm oil page or staples and oil.

Garri is dry granules made from cassava that has been grated, fermented, pressed and toasted. Stirred into boiling water it makes eba, a swallow for soup. Stirred into cold water it becomes soaked garri.

For eba, recipes disagree on the water ratio, from about one cup of garri per cup of water up to one per three cups, because garri types absorb differently. Most sit near one part garri to two parts water. For a first batch, try half a cup of garri and a cup of water per person. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, sprinkle in the garri gradually while stirring hard, and expect five to ten minutes. If it is stiff, add a spoonful of boiling water. If it is soft, add more garri. Pack directions come first. See the garri page.

They are brand-name seasonings in our coming soon range: Maggi cubes, Onga seasoning, Gino party jollof, Gino curry powder, Kitchen Glory and Arsok spice. Some are cubes or powders that add salty, savory depth, one is described by retailers as a tomato-based jollof mix, one is a curry blend, and Arsok is an all-purpose blend for soups and grills. In many Nigerian kitchens, Maggi is the everyday word for any seasoning cube.

Check the label on the pack in your hand. Ingredients and allergens vary by brand, market and pack, and we have not stated them for these products. Cubes typically contain salt, so taste before adding more. In the US, major allergens must be named on the label, and added MSG must be listed by name. Brand names belong to their owners. See spices and seasoning.

Ginger garlic paste is a ready-blended mix that saves you peeling and grinding fresh roots. Nigerian cooks use ginger and garlic in the pepper and tomato base for stews, early in the oil, in marinades for chicken and meat, in the water for boiling meat, and as supporting aromatics in pepper soup.

Expect a gentler garlic note than fresh cloves, so taste and top up. Jars differ, and the label shows salt, acid, preservatives or oil, so read it and follow the storage directions. Homemade paste made with oil is a perishable item: refrigerate it and use it within four days, or freeze it. See the ginger garlic paste page.

When Nigerian cooks say snail, they mean the big land snails of West Africa. Snail is one of the assorted meats in rich Igbo soups such as ofe owerri, and it is the main ingredient of snail pepper soup, a thin broth that is often eaten on its own.

Cook it thoroughly. The CDC advises against eating raw or undercooked snails, so follow the directions on the pack and simmer until tender all the way through. Snails are molluscs, which are not on the US major allergen list, so a label may not flag them. If you have a shellfish or mollusc allergy, ask an allergist first. See the snail page.

It depends on the fish. Stockfish is dried without salt, so soaking puts water back in rather than drawing salt out. Other dried and smoked fish vary, and some West African dried fish are salted, so read the pack.

Then taste a flake of the soaked fish. If it is salty, change the soaking water once or twice. Season the soup lightly and adjust at the end, because seasoning cubes and ground crayfish add salt too. See dried fish and seafood and the stockfish page.

Many soups use two or three fish together, each doing a different job.

• Stockfish cooks early with the meats until soft, adding chew and an unsmoked savory depth, as in bitterleaf soup, oha soup and afang.
• Smoked bonga flakes into sauces and suits efo riro.
• Smoked catfish, sold as catfish round or mud fish, gives firm pieces and goes in after the meats in banga, ogbono and palm oil rice.
• Panla is smoky and tender, and listings name efo riro and eru soup.
• Abo fish, sold as dried sole, is a natural fit for efo riro and egusi.
• Snail joins ofe owerri and pepper soup, and ground crayfish goes into many pots.

If your family recipe names a fish, trust it.

Sniff it first and throw out anything with white fuzz or a sour, musty or ammonia-like smell. Then:

1. Cover smoked fish with warm or just-boiled water. Guidance runs from a few minutes to a quarter hour or more, so go by thickness: press the thickest part and stop when it gives.
2. Rinse well, then pull the flesh off the bones and remove any hard skin or innards.
3. Taste a flake. If it is salty, change the water once or twice.

Stockfish is different. It needs days of cold soaking, from about 2 to 4 days for rolled cod to about 7 for whole round fish, per the Norwegian Seafood Council. Keep any long soak in the refrigerator, because food-safety guidance limits perishable food at room temperature to two hours. See dried fish and seafood and the stockfish page.

A few stand-ins are used, and none matches exactly.

• Ogbono: okra is the one real stand-in for the stretch, though the flavor changes a lot. Achi, ofo, ukpo and cocoyam thicken but will not stretch, and neither will cornstarch or flour.
• Uziza leaf: a West African spice guide suggests fresh arugula with a pinch of black pepper, or spinach with extra black pepper in a cooked soup. For the seed, black pepper, or a mix of black and white.
• Ugu: recipes written for cooks abroad name spinach or kale, and some cooks use ordinary pumpkin leaves. Spinach wilts faster, so add it later.

These approximate the originals. If a recipe names the ingredient, plan on it. See ogbono, uziza and ugu.

Open the Track order page and enter your order number plus the email address or phone number you used at checkout. No account or sign-in is needed. The details must match what you entered when you placed the order.

When your order ships, we also email you a confirmation with the tracking number, and that number is usually active within 24 hours. If the page cannot find your order, contact us and we will look into it.

Your order confirmation email is the first place to look. If you cannot see it in your inbox, check your spam or junk folder.

If you were signed in when you ordered, your orders are also listed on your dashboard. Still stuck? Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or call (734) 219-0258, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and tell us the name and the email or phone you used at checkout. We will help you find it.

Your order moves through these stages on the Track order page:

• Placed: we have received your order.
• Processing: we are getting it ready to ship. Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours.
• Shipped: it has left us, and you should have an email with your tracking number.
• Delivered: the order has been marked as delivered.

If a status looks stuck or is not on this list, contact us with your order number.

Go to the Forgot password page and enter the email address on your account. We will email you a reset link. The link works once and for 30 minutes, so open it soon after it arrives and choose your new password.

You do not need an account to order, so a forgotten password never has to hold up a purchase. You can check out as a guest at any time.

Check your spam or junk folder first, and make sure you typed the same email address you used to register. Remember that each link works once and for 30 minutes, so an old or already used link will not open.

Still nothing? Ask for a fresh link on the Forgot password page. If that does not work either, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or call (734) 219-0258 and we will look into it.

Yes, if you ordered while signed in. Sign in and open your dashboard to see your orders.

If you checked out as a guest, use the Track order page with your order number plus the email or phone you used. We cannot promise that guest orders will show on a dashboard, so keep your confirmation emails. If you need details of an older order, contact us.

Contact us and tell us what you would like changed: email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com, call (734) 219-0258 or message us on WhatsApp at the same number, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm. Your dashboard is for viewing your orders, so changes to account details go through us.

If it is the delivery address on an order you just placed, reach out straight away. Orders ship within 24 to 48 hours, and we are not able to change an address after an order has shipped. Our contact page has every way to reach us.

Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com, ask us to delete your account and include the email address on the account so we can find it. We will respond within a reasonable time.

Under our privacy policy, we delete your account and other personal information unless the law requires us to keep it. Order records are the usual example, because we keep them as long as we need them for your purchase and for tax and accounting.

Open your account area and choose Sign out. If you are on a shared or public device, sign out when you finish and close the browser window too.

Your basket and sign-in depend on cookies, so clearing your browser cookies will also end your session and can empty your basket. Our cookie policy explains which cookies keep these working.

Yes. We sell 40 lb cases of 20 x 2 lb bags to restaurants, caterers, African grocery stores and community kitchens. It is the same flour home cooks buy, packed for people who use it every day.

Send a request on our wholesale page and our trade desk will email you a price list. Our wholesale guide has more for kitchens and stores.

A case is 40 lb of flour: 20 bags of 2 lb each. Each bag is resealable and has the best-before date printed on it, so you can open one bag at a time and keep the rest sealed.

A 2 lb bag is 900 g of 100% pounded yam flour. Cases are the wholesale size we list on the wholesale page, and the trade desk can answer questions about delivery details when it sends your price list.

Case prices are trade prices, so we share them by email and do not publish them on the site. Fill in the request form on the wholesale page with your business name, your email and roughly how many cases you use in a month. Our trade desk replies within one business day with case prices and delivery details.

You do not need an account, and there is no minimum order to ask for prices. You can also email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or message us on WhatsApp at (734) 219-0258.

Yes. Order a 2 lb bag or a 5 x 2 lb bundle from the shop first, cook a batch and see how it works in your kitchen. It is the same flour you would be buying by the case.

Shop orders follow our normal shipping and returns rules, including free shipping on five or more 2 lb bags. You can ask for the wholesale price list while your trial bag is on its way.

A 40 lb case makes roughly 140 servings. A 2 lb bag makes about 7 servings at our planning figure of 125 g of flour (about 1 cup) per person, and a case holds 20 bags.

That lets restaurants and caterers plan by the bag: about 7 plates a bag and 20 bags a case. Appetites and portion sizes differ, so adjust the figure for your menu. Our guide to how much pounded yam flour per person helps with the math.

Yes. Standing (weekly) orders and pallets are available. Ask the trade desk, either when you request your price list or after your first case order, so you never run short.

Tell them roughly how many cases you use in a month. We do not publish pallet details on the site, so the trade desk will go through them with you by email. Start on the wholesale page.

Yes. It is the same 100% pure pounded yam flour we sell to home cooks: made from Benue yams from Benue State, Nigeria, peeled, parboiled, dried, milled fine and sifted. One ingredient, with no preservatives, food coloring or chemicals added.

It comes in resealable 2 lb bags. As with any natural product, the color and texture of the flour can differ slightly from batch to batch. See the full pounded yam flour range.

Yes. African grocery stores are among the buyers the case is made for. Each case holds 20 retail-ready 2 lb bags, and every bag is resealable and has the best-before date printed on it.

Request the price list on the wholesale page and mention that you run a store. Our guide for restaurants and stores covers more. For details such as labeling, delivery or standing orders, ask the trade desk.

Keep the bag sealed in a cool, dry cupboard, away from moisture and steam. Reseal it after every use and check the best-before date printed on the bag.

Scooping with a dry cup helps, because a damp cup or spoon brings moisture into the bag. Our guide on how to store pounded yam flour goes into more detail. If the directions on your pack say something different, follow the pack.

The guidance we give is a cool, dry cupboard, and the directions on the pack always come first. We have no fridge or freezer instructions for the flour, so we cannot advise on either.

Keep the bag sealed, away from moisture and steam, and go by the best-before date printed on it. If you have a storage situation the pack does not cover, contact us and we will tell you what we know.

Go by the best-before date printed on every bag. Because that date is on your bag, we do not quote a number of months here.

Keep the bag sealed in a cool, dry cupboard and reseal it after each use. A 2 lb bag holds about 7 servings, so it is worth checking the date before you buy more than you will use. Our storage guide has the full routine.

Do not use it. If the flour smells off or you see any mold, throw it out and contact us at hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or (734) 219-0258. If you are in doubt about a damp or clumped bag, do not eat it.

The color and texture of the flour can differ slightly from batch to batch, and that is normal. An off smell or mold is not. If the problem was there on arrival, contact us within 48 hours of delivery with your order number and a photo of the flour and, if you can, the packaging. We will replace it or refund you.

Yes. The flour comes in resealable, moisture-resistant bags with the best-before date printed on every bag. After you scoop out what you need, press the air out, close the seal fully and put the bag back in a cool, dry cupboard.

Moisture-resistant is not the same as waterproof, so we do not claim more than that. Keep the bag away from steam, spills and damp spots.

It is better not to. Steam from cooking brings moisture into the air, and moisture is what to keep away from the flour. Pick a cupboard that stays cool and dry, away from the stove and anywhere steam collects.

When you cook, measure out the flour and close the bag before you stand at the pot, rather than holding the open bag over a steaming pan. Our guide to making pounded yam with flour has the cooking steps.

Get leftovers into the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is hotter than 90 degrees F. Use a covered container and eat them within 3 to 4 days. If cooked pounded yam has been left out for hours, throw it out.

These are general food safety guidelines for cooked starchy foods. If the directions on your pack say something different, follow the pack.

We are a food store, so we cannot give medical or feeding advice. The flour has one ingredient, yam, with no preservatives or coloring added, and we cannot say more about how it suits a particular child.

When and how to introduce it to a baby or toddler is a question for your pediatrician, who knows your child. Read the ingredient and allergen information on the pack, as you would with any food.

Afri Foods Basket is an online store that ships across the continental United States. Today we sell 1pFoods pounded yam flour (iyan) in three packs: a 2 lb bag, a 5 x 2 lb bundle and a 10 lb bag. We also sell it by the case to restaurants, caterers and stores through our wholesale desk.

You can read more on our about page or browse the pounded yam flour range.

We are starting with pounded yam flour, and the rest of the Nigerian pantry is on its way. We list 34 more products as "coming soon": dried fish and seafood, soup leaves, soup thickeners, spices and seasoning, and staples such as red palm oil and garri.

Coming soon products are not for sale yet, and we cannot promise launch dates, prices or stock. Press Notify me on a product page and we send one email the day it lands. That is not an order and does not reserve stock. See the shop for what you can buy now.

The flour is sold under the 1pFoods brand, and the bag is labeled as West African yam flour for pounded yam. It is made from Benue yams from Benue State, Nigeria, which are peeled, parboiled, dried, milled fine and sifted. One ingredient, with no preservatives, food coloring or chemicals added.

Brand names belong to their owners. You can see the product details on our pounded yam flour page.

We are an online store, and we do not have a shop address to share. Orders ship to addresses in the continental United States, which means the lower 48 states and Washington, DC.

If you would like to talk to someone, call (734) 219-0258, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or message us on WhatsApp, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm. Please contact us before making any plans to call in person. Our contact page has the details.

Yes, you can use WhatsApp. Reach us any way that suits you:

• Email: hello@afrifoodsbasket.com
• Phone: (734) 219-0258
• WhatsApp: the same number, (734) 219-0258

Hours are Monday to Saturday, 9am to 7pm, and we answer messages within one business day. You can also use the form on our contact page. Wholesale price requests get a reply within one business day too.

We have not set up event, catering or gifting services that we can describe on the site, so please contact us with what you have in mind and we will tell you what is possible.

If you cook for a crowd, the wholesale desk sells 40 lb cases of 20 x 2 lb bags, and standing orders and pallets are available. If you are thinking of a gift order, ask us before you order.

Our blog is the home for cooking guides and recipes. Good places to start:

• How to make pounded yam with flour
• How much pounded yam flour per person
• What to eat with pounded yam
• Pounded yam and egusi soup
• 10 recipes you can make with yam flour

If you have bought a product, open its product page and use Write a review. Reviews are checked before they appear, and we may edit or remove reviews that are abusive, off-topic or not genuine. A review you send may be displayed on the site.

For any other feedback, or if something went wrong with an order, contact us by email, phone or WhatsApp. We answer within one business day.

We collect what we need to run the store:

• Details you give us: your name, email, phone and shipping and billing address when you order, create an account, join the launch list, ask us to notify you, request wholesale prices or send a message.
• Order information: what you bought, when, how much you paid and where it was sent.
• Usage information: your IP address, browser type and the pages you view.
• Reviews and messages you write to us.

The full list is in our privacy policy.

No. We do not store full card numbers on our servers. Payment is taken at checkout by our payment provider, and your card details go on the provider's secure form and are processed by them.

The payment options available are shown at checkout. You can read how we handle payment information in our privacy policy and how orders and payment work in our terms.

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share only what is needed with the companies that help us run the store: our payment provider, shipping carriers, and the email and hosting services we use. They may use your information only to provide their service to us.

We may also disclose information when the law requires it or to protect our rights. The details are in the privacy policy.

Every marketing email we send has an unsubscribe link, so use the link in the email. We send marketing emails only if you have asked for them. Notify me emails are one email per launch, and you can unsubscribe from those at any time too.

If you cannot find the link, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com and ask us to remove you. Emails about an order you placed, such as your confirmation, are about your purchase rather than marketing.

Some cookies are strictly necessary: they keep your basket, your sign-in and the security checks on forms and checkout working, so they are always on. A small cookie also remembers the choice you make in the cookie banner for 180 days. Functional, analytics and marketing cookies run only if you allow them.

To change your choice, press Cookie settings in the footer of any page, switch categories on or off and save. See the cookie policy for the full table.

Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com and tell us what you need. You can ask us to see, correct or delete the personal information we hold about you, and we will respond within a reasonable time.

Depending on where you live, your state's privacy law may give you more rights, and we will honor them. If you ask us to delete something the law requires us to keep, such as certain order records, we will tell you. See the privacy policy.

We keep order records for as long as we need them to support your purchase and to meet tax and accounting requirements. We have not published a fixed number of years, so we cannot give you one here.

If you ask us to delete your account and personal information, we will do so unless the law requires us to keep it, and that can include order records. Questions? Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or read the privacy policy.

Yes. The store uses encrypted (HTTPS) connections, and we limit who can see customer records. Your card details go on the payment provider's secure form rather than being stored by us.

No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what you share with us. The privacy policy has a section on keeping your information safe.

Our store is intended for adults and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

If you think a child has given us personal information, email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com and we will look into it. You can read more in the privacy policy.

The full text is on these pages:

• Privacy policy: what we collect, how we use it, who we share it with and your choices.
• Cookie policy: which cookies we use and how to change your choice.
• Terms and conditions: orders, payment, discount codes, allergens and reviews.
• Shipping and returns: delivery times, free shipping, returns and refunds.

Questions about any of them? Email hello@afrifoodsbasket.com or call (734) 219-0258.