Long before “probiotics” became a supermarket buzzword, West African cooks were fermenting beans, grains, seeds and milk. Fermentation preserves food without a fridge and builds the deep, funky flavours that make our soups taste like home.

10 fermented foods from West Africa

Food	Made from	Where you find it
Garri	Cassava	Across West Africa
Ogi / pap / akamu	Maize, millet or sorghum	Nigeria, Ghana (koko), Benin
Kenkey	Fermented maize dough, wrapped and boiled	Ghana
Fufu (traditional)	Fermented cassava	Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon
Iru / dawadawa / soumbala	African locust beans	Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal
Ogiri	Melon or castor seeds	Southern Nigeria
Okpei	Mesquite (prosopis) seeds	Northern and central Nigeria
Pito	Sorghum or millet beer	Ghana, northern Nigeria
Nunu / nono	Fermented cow’s milk	Northern Nigeria, Ghana
Kpekere / gari foto base	Fermented cassava products used in many dishes	Ghana, Togo

How iru (fermented locust beans) is made

1. Locust beans are harvested from the pods of the African locust bean tree (Parkia biglobosa).
2. The seeds are boiled for many hours until the hard coats soften.
3. The coats are removed, usually by pounding and washing.
4. The cleaned beans are boiled again, drained, wrapped in leaves or sacks and left in a warm place for 2 to 4 days to ferment.
5. The result is iru: dark, soft and strongly aromatic. Some are dried and pressed into balls or cakes (dawadawa); some are sold wet (iru pete) or whole (iru woro).

How to cook with iru

• Fry a spoonful in palm oil before adding peppers for efo riro or ayamase.
• Stir into egusi, ogbono or obe ata for depth.
• Mash into ewedu or gbegiri.
• Use dried dawadawa powder in northern soups and stews.

Abroad tip: frozen iru keeps for months. Keep it double-bagged; the smell travels. Dried iru powder and cubes are easier for shared kitchens.

Are fermented foods good for you?

Fermentation can make some nutrients easier to absorb and reduce natural anti-nutrients in grains and beans. Some traditional ferments also contain live microbes, though cooking reduces them. Researchers are increasingly interested in locust beans and other African ferments, but most claims you see online go beyond the evidence. Enjoy them for what they clearly are: delicious, traditional and part of a balanced diet.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are feeding a baby or young child, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet.

Finding ingredients abroad: most African and international grocery stores carry these. Check our Tokunbo Directory for African-owned stores near you.

Over to you: Iru woro or iru pete: which one is in your freezer right now? Tell us in the comments or share your story.

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