Sump Oil

The desert date tree (Balanites Aegyptia) known as Sump tree in Wolof, is a thorny plant that can grow as high as 9 meters. Sump is commonly found in the Sahel due to its resistance to draught and overgrazing. The fruits are green egg-shaped drupes that turn yellow when ripe and have a flavor which resembles gingerbread, though they have a slightly bitter aftertaste. The most interesting part of this plant lies in the fruits’ seeds, which are oily and provide an excellent clear, yellow oil. Sump oil is similar to groundnut oil and has a very high smoking point, but it is also used directly on food to give it a special flavor. Furthermore, it has been recognized as a good remedy for high blood pressure, rheumatism, skin problems and aches.   The process to obtain sump oil is long and rather difficult. Once women have collected the nuts they crush them to extract the inner almond. This step takes some time and can be slightly dangerous. The almonds are then ground into flour, which is sifted and steamed. The mixture obtained is put in little bags and pressed to obtain the oil. This procedure is repeated two or three times to get the most out of the nuts, taking around 12 hours to get one liter of pure sump oil. The sump tree is found in Fouladou in Lower Casamance and is mainly cultivated by the Wolof to mark the limits of their fields and to protect them from little animals, but the fruit sale is also a source of income. The production of sump oil used to be a traditional activity of Peuls women who, given its scarce profitability, completely abandoned the practice. However, some small communities of Wolof women took over the production, accounting to 20 liters a year per woman. These are mainly concentrated in the Louga region and mostly produced for home consumption. Though demand for the medicinal use of sump oil is increasing, including exploitation by some European countries, the traditional extracting method and its culinary use is being neglected and could potentially lead to the extinction of this product.