Once upon a time, De Rica tomato paste was the undisputed king of Nigerian kitchens. Today, the brand survives in an unexpected way — not only in cooking pots, but also as a unit of measurement in bustling food markets.
At a Lagos market, a woman points at a bowl of rice and asks, “How much for a derica?” The trader, Christopher Onyekwere, dips into the grains with a battered tin and announces the price. The writing on the tin has long faded — but old habits die hard.
Across markets in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, “derica” is not just a name. It is a measure, a tradition, and a symbol of how Nigerians make culture their own.
From brand to benchmark
Few young traders like 21-year-old Onyekwere know the origin of the word. But older sellers, like 49-year-old Henry Njoku, remember when De Rica was everywhere in the 1980s. “People used to say ‘De Rica’ when they meant tomato paste, no matter the brand,” he recalls.
Food writer Yemisi Aribisala has the same memory from her childhood in the 1970s and 80s. “De Rica was everywhere. Everyone considered it the best,” she says. When the cans piled up in kitchens and markets, vendors found a second use for them: as scoops. Before long, a “derica” meant a can’s worth of rice, beans, or melon seeds.
Other brands inspired similar measures. A tub of Blue Band margarine became a “butter”, and cigarette tins became a “cup”. As Aribisala notes, “Good scales are expensive. Empty tins are free.”
Disappearing tins
Today, the tins that gave birth to “derica” are scarce. Vendors now use any can at hand, even though they still call it by the familiar name. The change is tied to Nigeria’s 2017 ban on tomato paste imports, aimed at boosting local production. Because tinning is costly, most local producers, including De Rica, switched to sachets instead.
“Government banned it,” explains Mushin trader Agatha Okonkwo. She remembers her mother cooking with De Rica as far back as the 1960s, when it was the gold standard. Now, on her shelves, the dominant brands are Sonia and Gino. De Rica sits quietly in just one corner — a reminder of its faded dominance.
A taste that lingers
Despite competition and packaging changes, loyalists remain. Abuja sous chef Victor Moses swears by De Rica for his smoky jollof rice. To him, it gives “a rich taste and a perfect red colour” that no rival can match.
And abroad, the brand is finding fresh life. Nigerians in the diaspora seek it out, says Tim Szejnoga of Dutch importer Unidex. “Nigerians are brand-conscious. Once they love a brand, they stay loyal forever.”
More than a name
The 400-gram tin may have vanished from Nigeria’s shelves, but in markets across the country, “derica” lives on. Every time a trader scoops a can of rice or beans, an Italian tomato brand of the past continues its unexpected afterlife in Nigerian daily life.
Culled from Al-Jazeera
