Why Must Egusi Become “Melon Seed Stew”? Decolonizing African Cuisine by Reclaiming Indigenous Food Names Anucha, Edith Chinyere Department of French and Foreign languages Ignaus Ajuru University Of Educaon Port Harcourt edifordonne@gmail.com Abstract This arcle examines the persistent trend of translang and renaming African dishes for Western audiences and the deeper implicaons of such pracces. Focusing on the example of egusi, it argues that this compulsion to linguiscally simplify or translate African culinary identy is not about accessibility but stems from postcolonial insecurity and cultural erasure. Through comparave examples from Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines that retain their original names and are widely accepted in the West, this work underscores the unequal treatment of African foodways. It calls for a decolonial culinary movement that values African food names as valid, complete, and worthy of global respect. Keywords: African , egusi, decolonizaon, postcolonial identy, cultural validaon, translaon sovereignty Introducon: The Polics of Explaining African Food Across food blogs, restaurant menus, cookbooks, and social media, African cuisine is rising in popularity. Yet, with this growing visibility comes an uncomfortable paern: African dishes are oﬅen renamed or translated for Western audiences. Egusi soup, a beloved West African dish, is frequently called “melon seed stew.” Moi moi becomes “steamed bean pudding,” fufu is reduced to “starchy dough ball,” and suya appears as “West African grilled meat.” These translaons are not neutral. They imply that African food is inherently too foreign, too strange, or