What Is Dawadawa? The Fermented Locust Beans Explained
Dawadawa is a pungent fermented locust bean seasoning used across West Africa. Here is what it is, how it is used, and where to buy it.
African Stores Editorial Team
The short answer
Dawadawa is a traditional West African seasoning made from fermented locust beans, prized for its strong, savoury, umami flavour. Known as iru among the Yoruba and dawadawa in Hausa, it is added in small amounts to soups and stews like egusi and ogbono to give them a deep, traditional savouriness. It is sold fresh, dried, or shaped into cakes and ground into powder, and it carries a pungent aroma that mellows once cooked. African Stores lists shops across the UK where you can find it near you.
What to remember
- Dawadawa is a West African seasoning made from fermented locust beans, with a strong, savoury, umami flavour.
- It is known as iru among the Yoruba and dawadawa in Hausa, and it is often called locust beans in English.
- A little is added to soups and stews like egusi and ogbono for deep, traditional savouriness.
- It is sold fresh, dried, or as pressed cakes and powder, and it has a pungent aroma that softens with cooking.
- Made from a legume, it is sold by African food shops across the UK.
Open a packet of dawadawa and the smell alone can carry you straight back to a childhood kitchen, the big pot on the stove, the deep savoury steam of a soup slowly coming together. Across West Africa this humble fermented seasoning is woven into everyday cooking and into celebration alike, the quiet secret behind so many treasured pots.
Its reach runs right across the region and travels with the families who grew up on it. To stir a spoonful into a soup far from home is to hold onto that thread, and to share the pot is to pass round a savoury depth that generations have known and loved.
What Dawadawa Actually Is
Dawadawa is a traditional fermented seasoning, one of the ingredients that gives West African soups and stews their deep, characteristic savoury flavour. It is made from the seeds of the African locust bean tree, which are boiled and then left to ferment until they darken and develop a powerful, savoury aroma. Like other traditional fermented seasonings, dawadawa is used in small amounts as a flavouring rather than eaten on its own, lending dishes a rich, meaty depth that cooks have relied on for generations. It goes by many names, iru among the Yoruba, dawadawa in Hausa, and locust beans in everyday English, but they all describe the same much loved ingredient.
Dawadawa belongs to the world of ingredients we cover in our guide to Nigerian food, and it appears in kitchens right across West Africa, from Nigeria to Ghana and beyond. It is a cornerstone of the region's most treasured soups, where a small spoonful transforms a pot into something unmistakably homely and deeply savoury.
What Is Dawadawa Made Of
Dawadawa is made from the seeds of the African locust bean, a legume, which are cleaned, boiled for several hours, and then left to ferment over a few days until they turn dark and soft. Fermentation is what gives the seasoning its distinctive character, deepening the flavour into a strong, savoury umami and drawing out the pungent smell it is known for. That smell can be startling the first time you meet it, sharp and unmistakably fermented, but it settles down and mellows into a warm, savoury richness once the dawadawa is stirred into a hot pot. The finished seasoning is sold in several forms, soft and fresh, dried, pressed into firm cakes, or ground into a convenient powder, so cooks can choose whatever suits their dish. As dawadawa is made from a legume, anyone managing food allergies or intolerances should always check the packaging and buy from a trusted shop.
How Dawadawa Is Used in Cooking
Dawadawa is used as a seasoning, added in small amounts to bring a deep, traditional savouriness to a dish. It shines in the rich soups of West Africa, stirred into egusi, ogbono and other classic pots where its umami depth rounds out the flavour and ties the other ingredients together. A little goes a long way, so it is added early so it can dissolve and spread its savouriness through the broth, much as you might use a stock cube or a fermented paste in other cooking traditions. Fresh or dried dawadawa is often mashed or crumbled straight into the pot, while cakes are broken up and powder is simply spooned in. Beyond soups it seasons stews, sauces, rice dishes and vegetable pots, and it pairs beautifully with peppers, onions, palm oil, dried fish and crayfish. Because its flavour is so concentrated, it is best treated as a background note that builds savoury depth rather than a headline ingredient.
Where to Buy Dawadawa in the UK
Dawadawa is easy to find in the UK if you know where to look. African food shops are the reliable place to buy it, usually stocking it dried or as pressed cakes and powder, sometimes fresh, and often under the names iru or locust beans as well as dawadawa. The same shops carry everything that goes alongside it, from egusi and ogbono to palm oil, dried fish, crayfish and scotch bonnet, so you can gather a whole soup pot in one trip. You can find African food stores near you that stock dawadawa and the ingredients around it, and the staff are often happy to point you to the form they rate and suggest how best to use it. With a little dawadawa in the cupboard, a deeply savoury pot of egusi or ogbono is never far away.
Frequently asked questions
What is dawadawa?
Dawadawa is a traditional West African seasoning made from fermented locust beans, with a strong, savoury, umami flavour. Known as iru among the Yoruba and dawadawa in Hausa, and often called locust beans in English, it is added in small amounts to soups and stews to give them a deep, traditional savouriness. It is sold fresh, dried, or as pressed cakes and ground powder.
What does dawadawa taste and smell like?
Dawadawa has a strong, savoury, umami flavour and a pungent, unmistakably fermented smell that can be startling at first. The smell mellows once the seasoning is cooked into a hot pot, settling into a warm, savoury richness. Because the flavour is so concentrated, only a small amount is needed to add real depth to a dish.
What is dawadawa made of?
Dawadawa is made from the seeds of the African locust bean, a legume. The seeds are boiled for several hours and then left to ferment over a few days until they turn dark and soft. Fermentation is what gives dawadawa its deep savoury flavour and pungent aroma. As it is made from a legume, anyone managing food allergies or intolerances should check the packaging and buy from a trusted shop.
How do you use dawadawa in cooking?
Dawadawa is used as a seasoning, added in small amounts to bring a deep, traditional savouriness to soups and stews like egusi and ogbono. It is added early so it can dissolve and spread its savouriness through the pot, much like a stock cube or fermented paste. Fresh and dried dawadawa is mashed or crumbled in, cakes are broken up, and powder is simply spooned in.
Where can I buy dawadawa in the UK?
Dawadawa is sold by African food shops, usually dried or as pressed cakes and powder, sometimes fresh, and often under the names iru or locust beans too. African Stores lists African food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you that stocks dawadawa along with egusi, palm oil, dried fish and the other ingredients that go with it.
