“Tasted Like Sh*t!” — Twitter User’s Hilarious Kitchen Experiment With Iru Instead of Banana Sparks Massive Reactions Online

The internet never runs short of wild experiments, and this time, it’s a culinary disaster that’s got everyone laughing. A Twitter user set the platform on fire after proudly announcing that they had followed a recipe to the letter — except for one small, yet catastrophic substitution: replacing banana with iru (locust beans). What followed was a kitchen catastrophe that quickly became one of the most talked-about tweets of the day.

It all started when user @direbaba replied to a tweet from food creator Chef Nma (@nma_black), who had originally shared one of her trademark recipes. Chef Nma, known for her beautifully plated meals and creative approach to African cuisine, had innocently posted what looked like a delicious dish. Fans often try to recreate her recipes, and many share their results online, tagging her in the process. But this particular follower took creativity to a whole new — and questionable — level.

“I followed the recipe exactly except that I replaced the banana with iru. Tasted like sh*t! 2/10,” the user wrote bluntly, attaching a picture of their failed creation that has since gone viral.

The tweet instantly caught fire, with thousands of likes, retweets, and quote tweets flooding in. Nigerians on social media could not stop laughing, and the comment section became a chaotic comedy show of epic proportions. Some sympathized with the failed cook, others mocked the decision, while many simply couldn’t believe that anyone would think to substitute banana — a sweet fruit — with iru, the notoriously pungent fermented locust beans used in traditional Nigerian soups like ogbono, egusi, and ewedu.

“Banana and iru don’t even exist in the same dimension. What kind of spiritual warfare were you cooking?” one user commented.

Another wrote, “You replaced banana with iru? You didn’t follow the recipe, you performed a chemical experiment.”

The internet’s reaction quickly made the post trend, and even Chef Nma herself couldn’t resist joining the fun. Known for her calm and humorous interactions with fans, she simply quote-tweeted the post with laughing emojis and wrote, “Always a fav 😂😂.” Her lighthearted response sent everyone into another wave of laughter, with followers praising her for not taking it personally.

Soon, screenshots of the exchange began circulating across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and even TikTok, where food bloggers and comedians recreated the moment in short skits. Some even pretended to taste the imaginary iru-banana recipe, faking dramatic reactions and exaggerated facial expressions for comic effect.

What made the situation even funnier was the sheer confidence of the failed chef’s tone. Many users pointed out how the phrasing “I followed the recipe exactly” sounded proudly defensive — right before admitting to swapping the key ingredient that completely defined the dish. The phrase quickly became a meme, with users applying it to other ridiculous scenarios.

One meme read, “I followed the recipe exactly, except I replaced the sugar with salt. 1/10, would not recommend.” Another showed a picture of a ruined cake with the caption, “Followed the recipe, but replaced flour with sand. Still not sure what went wrong.”

As the jokes continued, many food enthusiasts also used the opportunity to talk about how substitutions can completely change the outcome of a dish. A few culinary experts explained that iru has an extremely strong, earthy, and savory aroma that can overpower almost anything — especially sweet ingredients like banana. Combining the two, they said, is like mixing perfume with pepper soup.

“It’s not just the taste, it’s the smell,” one user commented. “Once iru enters the kitchen, everything changes — even your dreams that night.”

But beyond the humor, this viral moment revealed something unique about social media’s culture of experimentation. In recent years, many people have started playing around with recipes and ingredients in creative, sometimes chaotic ways — often for content or curiosity. TikTok food trends, for example, have given rise to bizarre combinations like spaghetti with peanut butter, coke-marinated chicken, and avocado ice cream. While some end up surprisingly good, others — like the infamous “banana-iru” case — are better left untried.

For Chef Nma, the incident has ironically brought even more attention to her page. New followers have flooded her timeline, curious about her recipes and the kind of food that could inspire such a tragic substitution. Some even joked that she should officially add “no iru, please” disclaimers under her future banana-based recipes. Others suggested she make a parody cooking video titled “Banana vs Iru: The Experiment No One Asked For.”

Meanwhile, the original tweeter has taken the teasing in stride. Instead of deleting the tweet, they’ve been replying to jokes with their own dose of humor. “At least now I know iru doesn’t belong in dessert,” they wrote in a follow-up post. “We live and learn.”

Their willingness to laugh at themselves only fueled more good-natured fun, making the whole saga feel like one big community roast session — the kind of shared laughter that brings social media users together for a day before moving on to the next viral topic.

As the story spread, even non-Nigerians joined in, googling what iru is and expressing disbelief at the idea of pairing it with fruit. “I just looked up what iru is… and I feel like I can smell it through the screen,” one user from the U.S. commented. Another added, “This might be the funniest food mistake I’ve seen all year.”

In a way, this lighthearted incident highlighted one of the best things about Nigerian Twitter — its ability to turn even the most random situation into global entertainment. Between witty comebacks, clever memes, and pure chaotic energy, the platform once again proved why it remains one of the funniest corners of the internet.

By the end of the day, “iru and banana” had become a trending phrase, with people jokingly using it to describe mismatched relationships, failed ideas, or any situation that just doesn’t make sense. “He’s the banana, she’s the iru — they just don’t blend,” one tweet read, garnering thousands of laughs.

In an era where outrage often dominates online spaces, this viral cooking blunder served as a refreshing reminder that sometimes, the internet can just be fun — no drama, no arguments, just pure laughter over someone’s honest mistake in the kitchen.

For now, the public has spoken: banana and iru are a culinary combination that should never, ever meet again. But thanks to one curious cook’s brave (and regrettable) experiment, the world got a good laugh, and Chef Nma got one more unforgettable story added to her growing online legacy.

If there’s one takeaway from the entire ordeal, it’s this — recipes exist for a reason, and sometimes, following them “exactly” means not swapping your sweet for something that smells like a thousand-year-old spice market. But in the unpredictable world of social media, even a 2/10 dish can become a 10/10 moment of pure entertainment.