Néré and soumbala: identity, composition and culinary uses

Néré is a tree from the savannas of West Africa whose fruit yields two very different products: the fruit's sweet yellow pulp, and the seeds, which become soumbala after fermentation, a salty, strongly flavoured condiment.

What is néré?

Néré (Parkia biglobosa) is a large tree of the Sudano-Sahelian savannas, found from Senegal to Sudan, through Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Nigeria. Its pods contain black seeds coated in a yellow, floury pulp. This pulp, dried and ground into flour, is mixed with water for a drink or a porridge. The seeds, meanwhile, are boiled and then fermented for a long time: they yield soumbala, a condiment also called nététou in Senegal (Wolof), soumbala or soumbara in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, dawadawa among the Hausa of Nigeria and Ghana, iru among the Yoruba, or afitin in Benin.

Composition of the pulp and of soumbala

According to a study conducted in Benin, the fresh pulp of the fruit provides about 6.6 grams of protein, 11.8 grams of fibre and 191 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams. Soumbala, a condiment obtained by fermenting and then drying the seeds, is much more concentrated: studies conducted in Burkina Faso and Ghana report between 21 and 50 grams of protein and between 8 and 41 grams of fat per 100 grams, with wide variation depending on the region and the fermentation method, specific to each artisanal batch.

How to use soumbala and néré powder

Pulp powder is mixed with water, sweetened to taste, for a drink close to bouye juice, or with less water for a porridge. Soumbala is used in very small amounts, half a teaspoon to one teaspoon per dish for four people, added during cooking to the sauce or broth: it is used in thiéboudienne, mafé, gombo sauces and leaf sauces. Its smell, strong when raw, softens with cooking.

Going further

The blog explains the difference between néré and soumbala, and an article looks in detail at soumbara, the umami of West African cuisine.