Kènèboudo, whose scientific name is Cleome gynandra, is cultivated in rural areas (villages with a majority Mossi community) during the rainy season and in peri-urban areas where horticulture is developed throughout the year. It was widely used as a food source during the famine period of the 1970s in Burkina Faso. Kènèboudou leaves and stems contain significant amounts of calcium and potassium while fresh leaves contain higher levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus than fresh stems. Although the practice of boiling the fresh leaves and stems reduces the content of these minerals by 30-70 per cent, this plant represents a real potential source of mineral nutrients in the human diet. It is very important to preserve this plant because of its nutritional value, as more and more people in Burkina Faso are losing the habit of using it in their daily diet. In Burkina Faso, kenèboudo was once widely used, together with other traditional products such as amaranth, in the preparation of local dishes such as babemda, local couscous and rice with peanut sauce.
Back to the archive >Cette plante représente une véritable source potentielle de nutriments minéraux dans l'alimentation humaine. Il est très important de préserver cette plante au regard de sa valeur nutritionnelle et de plus en plus au Burkina Faso, les populations sont en train de perdre l'habitude de l'utilisation de cette plante dans leur alimentation.
Le kènèboudo est beaucoup utilisé avec d'autres feuilles comme l’amarante, au Burkina, dans la préparation de mets locaux comme le Babemda, le couscous local, le riz sauce arachide.
