The Ingredients of Resilience: What the Esan People Eat and the Fuel of Legacy
In the lush, rolling hills of the Edo Central region of Nigeria, the Esan people have cultivated a culture defined by two things: an indomitable spirit and a culinary tradition that mirrors it. For the established Diaspora leader or the head of a multi-generational family business, food is rarely just about calories. It is about sustenance, memory, and the “fuel” required for the long game of empire-building.
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When we ask, “What do the Esan people eat?” we are not just asking for a grocery list. We are inquiring into the bio-energetic foundation of a people known for their bravery, intellectual prowess, and longevity.
For those of us building legacies in the West, often miles away from the soil of our ancestors, understanding these ingredients is a masterclass in resilience.
The Foundation: Sustenance from the Earth
The Esan diet is deeply rooted in the concept of ugbo (the farm). Historically, the Esan person was a master of the land. Their diet is categorized by high-energy complex carbohydrates and nutrient-dense botanical soups that provide the stamina needed for both physical labor and the mental gymnastics of leadership.
1. The King of Crops: Yam
In Esan culture, as in much of the Benin Empire’s history, the yam is more than food; it is a symbol of masculinity, wealth, and stability.
- How it’s eaten: Pounded yam (iyan) is the gold standard. Unlike the instant powders found in many Diaspora kitchens today, traditional Esan pounded yam retains its fibrous integrity, providing a slow-release glucose source that powers a leader through a twelve-hour day without the “crash” of processed sugars.
- The Lesson: Just as the yam takes months of silent growth underground before it is celebrated at the New Yam Festival, a legacy requires a period of “invisible” deep-rooted work.
2. Black Soup
Perhaps the most iconic Esan dish is Black Soup. Its name comes from the deep, dark hue of the blended medicinal leaves used to create it.
- The Ingredients: A potent blend of Scent Leaf (Efirin), Uziza, and Bitter Leaf.
- The Science: Research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology highlights that these leaves are rich in phytochemicals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory agents. For a CEO dealing with the high-cortisol environment of modern business, these ingredients act as a natural “bio-hack” for gut health and immune support.
African Spiritual Principles in the Kitchen
In the Esan worldview, eating is a spiritual act. There is a principle of (protection and sanctity). You do not just eat to fill your belly; you eat to fortify your Ehi (your spiritual twin or personal genius).
For the Diaspora founder, this translates to Intentional Consumption. The Esan people, especially during transitional ceremonies, usually practiced communal eating. The bowl was shared. This reinforced the principle of Ubuntu that my success is tied to yours.
In a multi-generational business, the dinner table is often the first “boardroom.” It is where values are transferred through the stories told between bites of a rich, thick melon-based soup.
“The food of the ancestor is not just in the swallow; it is in the story told while the swallow is hot,” Esan Proverbial Wisdom.
The Diaspora Dilemma: Nutritional and Cultural Erosion
For the Diaspora leader in London, New York, or Toronto, the transition from traditional nutrient-dense diets to a Western “ultra-processed” lifestyle is more than a health risk; it is a legacy risk.
According to the African American Collaborative Obesity Network, the loss of traditional foodways contributes significantly to the disproportionate rates of metabolic syndrome in the Diaspora. When we lose our food, we lose our “edge.” The resilience that allowed our ancestors to survive the rigors of history was fueled by the earth, not by a factory.
As a content strategist and legacy consultancy, we have seen this multiple times. Leaders come to us with “brain fog” or a sense of burnout. Often, they have disconnected from their roots, both nutritionally and narratively.
Using Photo Elicitation (PET) to Reclaim the Menu
At AClasses Media, our founder Obehi Ewanfoh utilizes the Photo Elicitation Technique (PET). We often ask our clients to bring in photos of their childhood, not just of people, but of the meals they shared.
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Why? Because a photo of your grandmother preparing the red Ugbono soup in an Esan village triggers a “narrative homecoming.” It reminds the CEO that they come from a line of people who knew how to extract value from the environment.
It reminds the family business owner that their brand’s “secret sauce” is actually a heritage of craftsmanship that began in a smoke-filled kitchen in Edo State.
From the Kitchen to the Boardroom: The Strategic Pivot
You might ask, “What does Black Soup have to do with my multi-million-dollar coaching business?”
Everything.
Your business is an extension of your vitality. Your story, what you eat, how you were raised, the resilience passed down through your lineage is your Unique Differentiation. In a world of faceless corporations, your “Esan-ness” (or your specific heritage) is the only thing that cannot be disrupted.
At AClasses Media, we help you take these “ingredients of resilience” and package them into one of our three core legacy assets:
1. The Legacy Signature Program
We take the “proprietary formulas” of your life, much like an Esan grandmother has a proprietary blend for her Black Soup, and turn them into a unique methodology. We help you package your 20+ years of expertise into a system that solves problems for your clients in a way no one else can.
2. The Legacy Book
Your life is a recipe for success. A Legacy Book isn’t just a memoir; it’s a guidebook for the next generation. It’s where you document the “nutrients” of your wisdom, so your children and your industry don’t have to start from scratch.
3. The Legacy Video
Using cinematic storytelling, we immortalize your journey. Imagine a film that captures not just your office, but the sensory details of your heritage, the sounds of the market, the steam rising from the pounded yam, the fire in your eyes. This is how you connect emotionally with generations to come.
The Fuel for the Next 50 Years
The Esan people have a saying: Life is what you make of it, through your actions and your goodness.
To build a 50-year legacy, you need more than a business plan. You need the endurance of an Esan warrior. That endurance begins with honoring your roots, nourishing your body with the “fuel” of your ancestors, and intentionally crafting the narrative of your journey.
Your story is the most nutrient-dense asset you own. It is time to stop letting it sit in the “pantry” of your mind and start serving it to the world as a premium, legacy-defining brand.
Your Legacy is Your Most Valuable Asset
Before you focus on another quarterly report, let’s talk about how to immortalize the spirit that built your empire. Whether it is through a proprietary methodology, a timeless book, or a cinematic legacy video, your story deserves to live forever.
Book your free 15-minute Legacy Strategy Call today to design the asset that will tell your story for the next 50 years. Book Your Free 15-Min Legacy Call Now
