The Rich Culinary and Cultural Tapestry of Locust Beans

Locust bean, commonly referred to as iru by Yorubas, ‘ogiri’, ‘dawa dawa’ by Igbos, is a local seasoning or condiment used in soups and stews. A very popular soup ingredient, globally, it is referred to as African locust bean with the botanical name as Parkia biglobosa. It is not easy to look at, and the smell is unpleasant – at best. These aside, Locust Bean is the single, most significant ingredient guaranteed to take your soups, stews or mixed vegetables from just okay to great.

It can be found in a wide range of environments in Africa and is primarily grown for its pods that contain both a sweet pulp and valuable seeds. The most valuable parts of the locust bean are high in lipid (29%), protein (35%), carbohydrate (16%), and is a good source of fat and calcium for rural dwellers. Locust bean product should be converted into powdery form and packaged into various sizes in plastics for easy distribution.

Local research has shown that locust bean helps to promote good sight and drives away hypertension and diseases conditions like stroke and diabetes. It also contains tannins, astringent substances found in many plants. Foods rich in tannins are often recommended for treatment of diarrhoea. The portion of carob that is made into locust bean gum contains soluble fibre in the galactomannan family. Like other forms of soluble fibre, it has shown potential benefit for enhancing weight loss and controlling blood sugar levels.

The African locust bean tree has also been found to possess wonders. For instance, the pulverised bark of the tree is employed in wound healing and serves as one of the ingredients used in treating leprosy. The decoction of the bark is also used as bath for fever and as a hot mouth wash to steam and relieve toothache in Cote d’Ivoire.

In another result published in Science Journal based in Dakar, Senegal, researchers tried out locust beans on rats to find out whether it actually has any impact on controlling blood pressure and the result obtained showed that adequate doses of locust beans helped to decrease arterial blood pressure.

The findings showed that the diastolic blood pressure measurement enjoyed more reduction than even the systolic blood pressure. It also revealed the many wonders of African locust bean tree. The pulverised bark of African locust bean tree, for instance, is employed in wound healing and serves as one of the ingredients that are used in treating leprosy.

Locust beans is added to everything – not only because it tastes good and can serve as a tastier alternative to other spices cubes, but also due to its health benefits among which are vision improvement, digestion aid and much more.

Detailed Locust Bean Nutrition Data

Here is the detailed data on Locust Bean nutrition info:

Locust Bean Macronutrients Data

Weight

100g

Energy

1853.655 Kj

Calories

442.46 kcl

Fat

18.7g

Protein

32.615g

Carb

32.5g

Fiber

6.85g

Water

7.185g

Locust Bean Minerals Data

Weight

100g

Calcium

294.69mg

Iron (Fe)

33.56mg

Magnesium

140.18mg

Phosphorus (P)

mg

Potassium (k)

932.9mg

Sodium (Na)

107.09mg

Zinc (Zn)

27.9mg

Copper (Cu)

mg

Manganese

mg

Locust Bean Vitamins Data

Weight

100g

Vitamin A, RAE

μg

Retinol

mg

Carotene, beta

μg

Vitamin D

μg

Thiamin, B1

mg

Riboflavin, B2

mg

Niacin, B3

mg

Vitamin B6

mg

Folate, B9 (μg)

μg

Vitamin B12 (μg)

μg

Vitamin C (mg)

mg

Other Locust Bean Micronutrients

Weight

100g

Ash

4.155g

Alcohol

-

Caffeine

-

Theobromine

-

Summary Of Locust Bean , Dorawa (Hausa), Iru (Yoruba) Nutrition Info ( all of Nigeria).

Serving size of 100 grams of Locust Bean , Dorawa (Hausa), Iru (Yoruba) contains 442.46 calories, 32.615g of Protein, 18.7g of Fat, and 32.5g of Carbs.