Description:
A
red-orange liquid, used as a sauce base for many Gambian dishes. It
comes from the African Oil Palm (Arecaceae ) Elaeis Guineensis, through a process of squeezing oil from the
pinecone-shaped fruits that grow at the very top of the tree. The
leaves of the palm are pinnate i.e. resemble a feather and can grow to
between 3 to 5 metres long and can grow to a height of between 8.5 to
20 metres. From the moment of pollination it can take around 5.5
months for the the palm's fruit to ripen and mature.
The Oil:
There are 2 types of oil that are derived from this palm: Palm Kernel
Oil and Palm Oil. The oil is pressed out from the mesocarp of the
mature fruit which contains about 50% oil. At a temperature of above
25° the oil starts to melt.
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Practical Uses:
The red-orange oil is
used in cooking the local Gambian dish called
Superkanja, which is
Okra Stew.
The oil is used in the manufacturing of candles and soap as
well as cooking fats and margarine. It is used widely in tin
plate industry, protecting cleaned iron surfaces before the tin
is added. It is also used as lubricant, in rubber manufacture
and textiles.
The kernel oil, (which is colourless to
light yellow and high in saturated fats) is derived from the
kernel by extraction from the endosperm which contains about 50%
oil. Pressed cake is used as livestock feed.
Palm wine is
made from the tree sap.
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