NUMBER ONE food-grade shea butter is a vegetable fat extracted from the shea kernel, a tree from the savannah of West and Central Africa. It comes in a 100 g jar and is used in cooking as a cooking fat.
What is shea butter?
Shea butter (Butyrospermum parkii, also called Vitellaria paradoxa) is extracted from shea kernels, a tree that grows in the Sudano-Sahelian belt, from Senegal to Uganda. It is a solid, ivory-coloured fat with a smooth texture, whose melting point close to body temperature makes it easy to work with. Shea butter is recognised under European regulation as a vegetable food fat: it is, for example, among the vegetable fats authorised in chocolate alongside cocoa butter (directive 2000/36/EC).
How to use it in cooking?
In West African cuisines, shea butter is traditionally used as a cooking fat: it is melted to sear meat or vegetables, or to enrich a simmered sauce, in a way comparable to red palm oil. Add it gradually at the start of cooking: its flavour is mild and slightly nutty.
What to pair it with?
To cook a West African stew, find the Senegalese Mafé kit, the Cameroonian Ndolé kit, or NUMBER ONE palm oil as another traditional cooking fat.
Product information
- Brand: NUMBER ONE
- Contents: 100 g jar
- Ingredient origin: shea kernel, a tree from the savannah of West and Central Africa
- Allergens: shea nut is not among the regulated tree nuts of Annex II of EU Regulation 1169/2011 (almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew nut, pecan nut, Brazil nut, pistachio, macadamia); refer to the label of the product received for any other mention
- Storage: keep in a cool, dry place, away from heat and light
