Dawadawa is a fermented seasoning made from the seeds of the African locust bean tree (Parkia biglobosa). It’s known as iru in Yoruba, soumbala in Burkina Faso and Mali, nététou in Senegal and dawadawa in Hausa and in northern Ghana. The seeds are boiled, dehulled, boiled again and left to ferment for a few days, producing dark, sticky, strong-smelling beans that are used by the spoonful to give soups, stews and sauces a deep savory, meaty flavor – much as miso or fish sauce are used elsewhere. It’s sold in West African markets fresh, dried into balls or cakes, or as powder, and it’s a key dietary component in northern Ghana (Golly et al., 2025).
How Dawadawa Is Made
- Boil the very hard dried seeds for many hours (or pressure-cook them) until the seed coats slip off.
- Dehull by pounding or rubbing, then wash away the dark coats.
- Boil again to soften the pale cotyledons, then drain well.
- Ferment the warm beans, covered with leaves or cloth, in a warm place for 2–4 days until sticky and pungent.
- Use or preserve: use fresh, or salt and/or dry it into balls or powder for storage.
An Alkaline, Bacillus Ferment
Dawadawa isn’t a sour, lactic ferment. It’s dominated by Bacillus bacteria, which break the seed proteins down into amino acids and ammonia, so the pH rises during fermentation – the same kind of alkaline fermentation that makes Japanese natto (Parkouda et al., 2009). In dawadawa from six Ghanaian communities, Bacillus subtilis was the most abundant species, alongside Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus; homemade samples had more diverse microbes than commercial ones (Golly et al., 2025). The aroma comes from more than 100 volatile compounds, including pyrazines and sulfur compounds, and varies with the Bacillus strains involved (Ouoba et al., 2005).
Nutrition
The same Ghanaian study found dawadawa to be 36–50% protein and 17–28% fat, with notable iron, zinc and calcium, though values varied widely between communities (Golly et al., 2025). A systematic review of Parkia biglobosa nutrient data also noted many gaps and inconsistent data quality (Termote et al., 2022). Because it’s used by the teaspoon, dawadawa is mainly a flavoring, but it adds protein to plant-based dishes.
Safety
Because the pH rises rather than falls, the ferment doesn’t have acidity to protect it. Studies of soumbala found Bacillus cereus strains able to produce diarrheal enterotoxins during fermentation (Ouoba et al., 2008). At home:
- Use clean equipment and boil the beans thoroughly before fermenting.
- Cook dawadawa into soups and stews rather than eating it raw.
- Refrigerate fresh dawadawa and use it within about a week, or dry it (or salt it) for longer storage.
- Discard it if it grows colored mold or smells putrid rather than pungent and savory.
How to Cook With Dawadawa
- Soups and stews: crush a teaspoon or two and fry it with onion and pepper at the start – essential in Nigerian efo riro and many egusi recipes, and in Ghanaian and Sahelian soups.
- Rice and sauces: stirred into jollof-style rice or leaf sauces.
- Powder: dried dawadawa is ground and used like a stock powder.
Related West African ferments: ogiri and ugba; from Korea, cheonggukjang is another Bacillus-fermented bean.