A tangy Nigerian cooking ingredient is cheering the diaspora
Across the world, foodies may learn to savour a fermented African locust bean
THE FERMENTED African locust bean, known in Yoruba as iru, has an unmistakable cheesy tang that hits you before you see it. “Iru isn’t just a flavour on the tongue,” says Ozoz Sokoh, a food blogger. After an elaborate process of fermentation, the smell is essential to its flavour. Iru is further enriched once tossed in smoky, bleached palm oil.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Locust beans are back”
Middle East & Africa July 31st 2021
From the July 31st 2021 edition
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