Ukwa – Dried African Breadfruit Seeds, Igbo Delicacy

Ukwa

African breadfruit seed. Small, hard, unremarkable to look at, and one of the things Igbo people abroad miss most and find least often.

Nobody eats ukwa casually. It takes hours to cook and it is usually made because somebody asked for it, or because it is that kind of day.

How to cook it

1. Pick through it. Spread the seeds out and remove any stones or shell fragments. Always do this. Always.
2. Rinse and put in a pot with plenty of water.
3. Add a pinch of akanwu. This is what actually softens it. Without potash you will boil ukwa until midnight and it will still fight you.
4. Boil, topping up with hot water as it goes, until the seeds are tender. Expect one to two hours.
5. Season with palm oil, ground crayfish, pepper, salt and a little dried fish. Simmer down until thick and porridge-like.

Two ways people eat it

• As porridge, thick with palm oil, the way most homes make it.
• Roasted, dry-fried until it pops, eaten by the handful with palm kernel or coconut.

Taste

Nutty and starchy, somewhere between a chestnut and a firm bean, and it takes on palm oil beautifully.

Product details

• Also known as: ukwa, African breadfruit, Treculia africana
• Form: Dried, shelled seeds
• Size: 1lb
• Cook with: Akanwu, palm oil, crayfish
• Storage: Sealed, cool and dry. Freezes well.

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