Soumbara, which the Senegalese call nététou and Malians soumbala, is a condiment made from fermented néré seeds, dried and then ground. Its smell is powerful, its taste deep: half a teaspoon is enough to give body to a thiéboudienne, a mafé or a gombo sauce. 100 g pouch, in powder form, ready to measure out.
What is soumbara (nététou)?
Soumbara is made from the seeds of the néré (Parkia biglobosa), a large savanna tree that grows from Senegal to Nigeria, by way of Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Togo. The seeds are boiled for several hours, stripped of their hulls, then left to ferment for two to four days: they turn brown and develop a strong smell and a marked umami taste, close to a full-bodied stock. The fermented product is then dried and, here, ground into powder.
Making soumbara is an ancient practice, carried out largely by women in the villages of the Sudano-Sahelian zone, and selling it remains a source of income for the women who produce it. In cooking, it long played the role of flavour enhancer in simmered sauces, well before industrial stocks arrived.
What is soumbara called in French?
There is no French word for it: people speak of fermented néré seeds. Depending on the country and the language, the same condiment is called nététou in Senegal (Wolof) and the Gambia, soumbala or soumbara in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire, dawadawa among the Hausa of Nigeria and Ghana, iru among the Yoruba, afitin in Benin. Some restaurateurs in France nickname it “African mustard”, for its strength in cooking, although it has nothing to do with mustard seed. Not to be confused with néré powder, yellow and sweet, which comes from the pulp of the fruit.
What does nététou taste like?
Raw, the smell is strong, close to ammonia, and gives a false idea of the result. When cooked, it softens markedly and leaves a deep, umami taste that blends into the sauce and gives it body. It is this underlying taste that Senegalese and Malian cooks look for: you no longer taste it as a separate ingredient, you taste that the sauce is complete.
How do you use soumbara powder?
- Allow half a teaspoon to one teaspoon for a dish for four people, and adjust to taste.
- Dissolve the powder in a little hot water, or add it directly to the sauce or stock during cooking.
- Let it simmer: its smell softens and its taste blends into the dish.
The powder is easier to measure out than dried balls or blocks, which have to be crumbled. Do not add too much at first: its strength comes out during cooking.
In which dishes?
Soumbara goes, as a small touch, into several West African classics: thiéboudienne, the Senegalese rice with fish, where nététou is one of the traditional spices; soupe kandia, the gombo and palm oil sauce from Casamance; chicken mafé, where a hint of soumbara complements the peanut paste. It also flavours leaf sauces, soups and fish marinades.
Powder, grains or block: which soumbara to choose?
The NUMBER ONE powder on this page is the easiest to measure out every day. The section also offers the condiment in its whole forms: CATALEYA soumbara in grains, to crush or to drop whole into the stock, CATALEYA soumbara block, to crumble, and CATALEYA powder, another brand of the same condiment.
How should it be stored?
In an airtight jar, in a dry place, away from moisture and heat: this way the powder keeps for several months, and its lingering smell stays in the jar.
What to pair it with?
For a thiéboudienne: ORCHIDÉE twice-broken rice and JUMBO fish stock, or our thiéboudienne kit. For the néré drink, you need néré powder. For the tree, its two products and their composition, read the article néré and soumbala on the blog. The whole section: spices and condiments.
Product information
- Brand: NUMBER ONE, distributed in France by Tai Yat
- Contents: 100 g pouch, powder
- Ingredient: fermented néré seeds, dried and ground
- Allergens: none of the 14 regulated allergens, by nature
- Storage: in an airtight jar, in a dry place: its smell lingers
