Irú ( Yoruba) or Daddawa ( Hausa) or Eware ( Edo) or Sumbala ( Bambara) or Narghi ( Fula) is a type of fermented and processed locust beans ('' Parkia biglobosa'') used as a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

in cooking. It is similar to ogiri and

douchi ''Douchi'' is a type of fermented and salted black soybean most popular in the cuisine of China, where they are most widely used for making black bean sauce dishes. Shurtleff, W.; Aoyagi, Abr>History of Fermented Black Soybeans (165 B.C. to ...

. It is popular throughout

West African cuisine West African cuisine encompasses a diverse range of foods that are split between its 16 countries. In West Africa, many families grow and raise their own food, and within each there is a division of labor. Indigenous foods consist of a number of ...

. It is used in cooking traditional

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

s like egusi soup, okro soup (ILA), Ewedu soup, and ogbono soup.

Iru production

The fabrication process involves boiling, cleaning and then packing away to ferment. This fermentation process gives it a pungent smell. Salt can be added to the finished product to facilitate storage life. This condiment is traditionally sold in balls or patties that can be kept for several months at a time in the case of the best quality. Yorubans make two types of Irú: * Irú Wooro is used mostly in vegetable soups like Efo Riro, Egusi soup, Ofada sauce, Ayamashe, Buka stew, Obe ata, Ila Asepo, etc. * Irú pẹ̀tẹ̀ is used in making

ewedu ''Corchorus'' is a genus of about 40–100 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Different common names are used in different contexts, with jute applying to the fi ...

and

egusi Egusi, also spelled egushi ( Yoruba: Ẹ̀gúṣí), are the protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants ( squash, melon, gourd), which, after being dried and ground, are used as a major ingredient in West African cuisine. Egusi is ...

soup. During

fermentation Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are catabolized and reduce ...

, the reducing

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

content increases, and the total free

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

content initially decreases; in the end, however, there is a large increase in free amino acid content.

Names and variations

Names and variants in several different languages of the region include: *

Manding languages The Manding languages (sometimes spelt Manden) are a dialect continuum within the Niger–Congo languages, Niger-Congo family spoken in West Africa. Varieties of Manding are generally considered (among native speakers) to be mutually intelligible ...

: ''sunbala'', ''sumbala'', ''sungala'', ''sumara'' ''Sumbala'' (or in French transcription ''soumbala'') is a loan from Manding. * Hausa: ''dawadawa'', ''daddawa'' *

Pulaar Pulaar (in Latin script, Latin: , in Ajami script, Ajami: ), often referred to as Pulaar du Nord, is dialect of the Fula language spoken primarily as a first language by the Fula people, Fula and Toucouleur peoples in the Senegal River valley ar ...

/ Pular: ''ojji'' * Yoruba: ''iru'' * Serer, Saafi, Wolof: ''netetou'' * Krio: ''kainda'' * Susu: ''Kenda'' * Zarma: ''doso mari'' * Dagbanli: ''Kpalgu'' * Mooré: ''Colgo'' * Konkomba language: ''tijun'', ''tijon''

References

{{portal bar, Food Fermented foods Condiments Nigerian cuisine Yoruba cuisine Umami enhancers

Iru production

Names and variations

See also

References