Fermented locust-bean cakes that give northern Ghanaian soups their deep savoury base. It is made from Parkia biglobosa seeds, and the same ferment is called iru in Nigeria and soumbara in Mali.
It is an alkaline Bacillus ferment of a high-protein seed held warm for days with no salt, where the leaf-lined basket carries the inoculum; there is no domestic setup that reliably grows the right organism rather than the wrong one.
What goes into it
- African locust bean seeds
- water
- leaves for lining the fermenting basket
How it is made
The seeds are boiled for many hours, dehulled by pounding and washing, boiled again, then packed warm into a leaf-lined basket or calabash and covered. Over two to four days Bacillus subtilis colonises them and breaks the protein down, producing a dark, sticky, ammoniacal mass, which is pounded into cakes and dried in the sun.
How long it takes: two to four days of fermenting after a day of boiling
How it is eaten
Crumbled into groundnut soup, tuo zaafi and light soup for savour.
History
Made from Parkia biglobosa seeds fermented for days in northern Ghana; the same ferment is called iru in Nigeria and soumbara in Mali.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dawadawa?
Dawadawa is a fermented & pickled from Ghana: fermented locust-bean cakes that give northern soups their deep savoury base. Made from Parkia biglobosa seeds fermented for days in northern Ghana; the same ferment is called iru in Nigeria and soumbara in Mali.
How is Dawadawa made?
The seeds are boiled for many hours, dehulled by pounding and washing, boiled again, then packed warm into a leaf-lined basket or calabash and covered. Over two to four days Bacillus subtilis colonises them and breaks the protein down, producing a dark, sticky, ammoniacal mass, which is pounded into cakes and dried in the sun. It takes two to four days of fermenting after a day of boiling.
Can I make Dawadawa at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is an alkaline Bacillus ferment of a high-protein seed held warm for days with no salt, where the leaf-lined basket carries the inoculum; there is no domestic setup that reliably grows the right organism rather than the wrong one.
What goes into Dawadawa?
African locust bean seeds, water, leaves for lining the fermenting basket.
How is Dawadawa eaten?
Crumbled into groundnut soup, tuo zaafi and light soup for savour.
