The African continent is rich with foods that benefit our health and can be used for medicinal and domestic purposes. The continent’s hot climate helps cultivate a variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables that contribute to luscious and diverse dishes for people across tribes, communities and nations. These superfoods are countless in number. The next time you pass by an African grocery store or a market that sells African foods, why not give these foods a try? Not only will you enjoy the taste of Africa, but your body will thank you for the health benefits. Below are just some of the many health-conscious African-grown superfoods that are worth including in your diet.

1. Baobab Fruit

The baobab tree grows in Africa, Australia and the Middle East. Its fruit contains vitamin C, potassium, carbohydrates and phosphorus. Baobab seeds are bursting with multiple health benefits. It’s been used to treat malaria, tuberculosis, fever, diarrhoea, anaemia, toothache and to strengthen the immune system.The fruit can be obtained from shells that are upturned from the tree, and its seeds can be crushed into powder and used in smoothies and salads. They even work in desserts!You can make baobab ice cream or treat yourself to baobab cheesecake. 

2. Fonio

Fonio has grown in West Africa for thousands of years and is popular in salads, stews and porridges. It can also be pounded into flour and used to make bread. Fonio is a great option for the gluten-free community, diabetics and those with celiac disease. You can incorporate fonio it into a wealth of meals. Enjoy a creamy fonio hot cereal with dried fruit for breakfast, or as a.main course, a la fonio mac and cheese, Italian fonio stuffed peppers or fonio mushroom risotto. Fonio also makes its way into dessert menus, with fonio lemon tart, blueberry fonio mini cupcakes or even a three-berry fonio crumble being some examples. 

3. Egusi

Egusi is part of the gourd family. It resembles watermelon seeds, but with a slightly different taste. It’s rich in protein and is famous among West Africans for its use in soups and other flavourful meals. A Nigerian woman of the Igbo ethnic group (who chose to remain anonymous) revealed how to utilise this oil-rich seed: “During the yam harvest...we cook a special egusi soup. We season the egusi very well and make it into meatballs. You can put the bitter leaf in the meatball. The soup has to be very hot, not too watery. You can use dry codfish. You have to boil it for a long time. That is the main ingredient used for the egusi soup. It is cooked once a year. The common meat is ogboroko [cod fish]”. There are various ways of preparing this mouth-watering food. In other regions in Nigeria, it is popular to add spinach to egusi soup. It’s typically served with pounded yam or garri— a coarse flour made of crushed cassava. 

4. Cocoyam leaves 

In Ghana, cocoyam is known as kontomire among the Akan ethnic group. Hilda Ayisioffei, a caterer from Ghana, described kontomire as “ a leafy vegetable which is obtained from cocoyam,” adding that it’s “mainly used for soups and stew.” The vegetable can also be consumed raw. Cocoyam can be used to make porridge for babies and children and it can also be roasted, baked, fried or even granulated and used to thicken soups. The fresh leaves are sometimes used to decorate soups or served as a side vegetable. 

5. Tamarind

Tamarind is a tropical fruit native to Africa. It’s also farmed in India, Pakistan and many other hot countries. Tamarind is great in sauces, marinades, chutneys, drinks and desserts. It’s also found in candy and sweetened syrup. If you want to acquire tamarind in all its glory, you can get it in raw shells. Or you can make a pressed block out of it. To do so, you need to remove the shell and seeds and compress the pulp into a block. You can also purchase concentrated tamarind with boiled-down pulp (but bear in mind that this form may include preservatives). 

6. Pumpkin leaves

Pumpkin leaves are known as ugu in Africa and are a well-known vegetable prominent in soups and main meals. Like most African superfoods, pumpkin leaves also serve as a medicine. They’re rich in antioxidant properties and are particularly beneficial for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Pumpkin leaves are a good alternative for wintergreen. Due to the spiky spines on their leaves and stems, they must be peeled first. Raw pumpkin leaves should be refrigerated in a plastic bag and consumed within three days. 

7. Sukuma Wiki

Sukuma Wiki is a simple yet nutritious African dish that is relished in East African countries such as Kenya and Tanzania, to name a few. It means “to stretch the week” in Swahili, particularly when it is eaten with cornmeal fufu known as ugali. Sukuma Wiki is a collard green and, unsurprisingly, it contains an abundance of health benefits. It offers vitamins A, C, K and calcium and can be cooked as a sole vegan dish with additional ingredients or blended with proteins and spices. 

8. Ogbono

Ogbono seeds make up a fruit known as Irvingia Gabonensis. It is recognised as African mango, wild mango or bush mango. It is native to parts of Central and West Africa as well as Southeast Asia. African mango is renowned for its several health benefits. It provides calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. It can also reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol. 

Ogbono seeds are highly esteemed for creating ogbono soup, an acclaimed Nigerian dish. My unnamed source from earlier revealed how to prepare the famed ogbono soup:“A soup that people cook now and then. The good thing about ogbono is that it comes in a very big nut, you crack open the nut, bring out the actual ogbono seed, and blend it. You choose the meat you want to use. The common meat is ogboroko [codfish] or beef tripe. If you make it nice and slimy, you put okra in it. When you finish, you leave the pot open because the steam from the cover will make the soup watery,” she says. “Ogbono soup is very tricky to cook,” she adds. 

“You put all the meat in a pan, put enough water in the pan depending on how much ogbono you are using. You have to make an estimate depending on how much ogbono you use. When you blend ogbono, scoop it in a plate to make it into a paste, make it nice and smooth. Before you pour your ogbono mix into your pot, your meat has to be properly cooked before you put ogbono. As soon as you pour it into your pot, you stir it. You cover it, to make it slimy. Before you switch it off, you put okra after which you leave it for ten minutes. Never cover ogbono soup after you’ve finished cooking otherwise it will go watery. The good thing about ogbono soup is you can use bitter leaf or spinach to make it.”

9. Covo

Covo is African kale. It comes in two forms, one with seeds and one without. African kale leaves will last for a few days if stored in a cool environment. They can be incorporated into stir-fries, soups, salads and smoothies. In Zimbabwe, the leaves are traditionally cooked in a sauce with peanut butter and served with sadza, a cornmeal porridge that is a food staple in the country. 

10. Bitter leaf

Bitter leaf is a herb, also called vernonia amygdalina. It originates from Africa and is cultivated in most parts of the Sub-Saharan area. It possesses medicinal properties, vitamins and mineral salts. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this wondrous leaf is used to treat fever, intestinal problems, malaria, skin infections namely ringworm, rashes and eczema. It also serves as a liver and kidney cleanser. Bitter leaf complements various soups including egusi and ogbono soups to name a few. You can also make bitter leaf juice to reap its numerous health benefits.