Egousi or Ground African pistachio

Egousi or Ground African pistachio: the forgotten vegetable.
The African pistachio (also known as egousi or egusi in English) is the seed of a type of watermelon called Citrullus lanatus.

This type of melon is very popular because of its productivity and food quality. The terminology is confusing, however, as the name egusi is often used to refer to several similar seeds. All of these seeds come from pumpkins (family Cucurbitaceae) and all are high in oil and protein.

The African pistachio plant looks so much like a watermelon plant that most botanists believe it does. The fruit looks a lot like a small round watermelon, which can easily be confused with the two. Inside, however, the fruit is neither red, sweet, nor salty. In fact, it’s white and dry and bitter enough to be repellent.

The egusi plant is cultivated for its seeds, which look like large white melon seeds.

Consumption:
In West Africa, they are a major ingredient in soups and a common part of daily meals. Crunchy, they thicken stews and help the meatballs taste. Some are soaked, fermented, boiled, and wrapped in leaves to form a favorite spice. They’re also toasted and ground into a ball like peanut butter.

Some are roasted with peanuts and pepper and crushed into an oily paste that is used when consuming kola nuts, eggplants, and fruits. Egusi seed meal is compacted into patties that serve as meat substitutes. It is even said that the dry seeds placed on a hot pan will burst like popcorn and look like puffed rice.

Item details
Brand: African Pistachio
Country of origin: Cameroon
Weight: 100g

Contact
Contact name: Rodrigue
Contact address: BP 4736 Douala Cameroun

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