Africa's Finest Ground Ogbono 70 g (Pack of 10)

Product Information

Irvingia gabonensis fruit can be eaten as fresh fruit. The sweet pulp can be juiced or used for making smoothie, jelly, jam and wine. The seeds can be pressed for vegetable oil or margarine. The dried ogbono seeds can be ground and used for preparing ogbono soup, stew, Gabon chocolate and dika bread. The ripe pulp can be used to prepare juice, jelly, jam, and wine. The wine produced from the pulp tastes great and is generally acceptable. Most ogbono recipes are incredibly high in saturated fat and sodium. You can get a more detailed and healthier recipe for ogbono in my new cookbook: Cook It – The Whole Way.

Peradventure you haven't heard, seen or eaten ogbono before, this post is here to bridge the gap! It sheds light on some important features, extraction methods, nutritional values, medicinal and several other benefits of this awesome fruit. The fats in ogbono are primarily saturated fatty acids (~97%), and the remainder is a combination of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. For a great variety, you can add okra to this dish. Just follow the steps above, add chopped okra and let it boil for 5 minutes before you add the spinach. Can I make Ogbono soup without palm oil? Ngondi et al., (2005) study validates that obese patients given Irvingia gabonensis had a significant decrease in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol with an increase in HDL cholesterol. This suggests that Irvingia gabonensis is suitable for regulating the serum cholesterol levels.Ogbono seeds, water, oil, leaf vegetables ( bitterleaf and celosia), other vegetables, seasonings, meat Ideally, ugwu leaves are stirred in at the final stage of cooking this soup but you can use any other leafy greens but I will strongly suggest you go a strong leafy green alternative like Kale or Collard greens especially if the stew will last you more than a day. You can also add Okra in place of the leafy green if preferred. This post is for enlightenment purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for professional diagnosis and treatments. Remember to always consult your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions or for counselling, guidance and treatment about a specific medical condition. Unlike some other varieties like Irvingia wombulu that produces bitter fruits, the fruits of Irvingia gabonensis are fleshy and edible. The pulp is rich in vitamin C and yields about 70% juice.

According to Ladipo et al., (1996), the Irvingia genus is made up of 7 species comprising of Irvingia wombolu, Irvingia gabonensis, Irvingia giarobur, Irvingia excels, Irvingia malayaria, Irvingia gradifolia and Irvingia smithii. Unlike the pulp of some other Irvingia spp., the pulp of Irvingia gabonensis is edible, sweet and juicy. Irvingia gabonensis is closely related to Irvingia wombolu. While Irvingia wombolu bears inedible and bitter fruits, the Irvingia gabonensis bears edible ones. Irvingia excelsa Mildbr fruit pulp is hard and inedible while Irvingia smithii Hook.f. fresh fruit is sweet and edible.Ogbono lowers blood glucose levels in rats with diabetes. And although it increases insulin sensitivity, lowers blood glucose, waist circumference and triglycerides in patients with metabolic syndrome, there is currently insufficient evidence for its benefits in humans with diabetes. Is Ogbono Soup Fattening? Use your favorite meat choice. Use whatever you have on hand; you don’t have to use what is listed. That’s the beauty of this soup; you can make it yours! Each tribe has its own spin on this dish, but this one is predominantly the Yoruba version or better put, the version I grew up with. I need to mention that in the Yoruba-speaking part of Nigeria, we often refer to this soup as Obe apon. Notes:

Kudos to my sweet mama for sharing this thrilling story with me because it kind of made me love this soup the more. Interestingly, I've grown to find out that apart from being a delicious soup condiment, that ogbono seeds and other parts of the tree are useful for several remarkable benefits. If you live outside Nigeria, palm oil might not be very common where you are. You can always substitute palm oil in the recipe with olive oil, groundnut oil, or your choice of oil. The taste will be slightly different but the soup will still be very delicious! What can I eat ogbono soup with? Oil: An edible brown-colored oil is extracted from the ogbono seed that can be used in cooking. The oil is solid at room temperatures and can be used as a substitute for cocoa butter in cream and soap making. Fruit Ngondi, J., J. Oben and S. Minka, (2005), The effect of Irvingia gabonensis seeds on body weight and blood lipids of obese subject in Cameroon. Lipids Health Diseases, 4: p. 12. Olufunke O. et al Irvingia gabonensis Seed Extract: An Effective Attenuator of Doxorubicin-Mediated Cardiotoxicity in Wistar Rats. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity (2020)

📖 Recipe

Tchoundjeu Z, Atangana, AR (2007). “Irvingia gabonensis (Aubry-Lecomte ex O’Rorke) Baill”. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA); van der Vossen HAM, Mkamilo GS (Editors); Wageningen, Netherlands. Bamidele, et al. Physico-chemical properties of instant ogbono (Irvingia gabonensis) mix powder. Food science & nutrition vol. 3,4 (2015) Atiku, M.K. (2003). Strengthening Food and Beverages Quality Standards and Safety as a Stimulant for Industrial Growth. Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology. p.178 . Retrieved October 2, 2018. The beauty of making Ogbono soup is that you can make it all your own.You can use fish in place of meat and you can also add or remove the extras like the periwinkles. When Ogbono is cooked ithas a mucilaginous (slimy) texture like cooked Okra and Jute leaves (Ewedu). This is a stew and not a soup in the real sense but we call it soup anyways!