B
ambara groundnut
is a grain legume
grown mainly by
subsistence farmers
in sub-Saharan Africa.
The common name
is derived from the
Bambara tribe, which
is native to most of West Africa, making
the centre of origin most likely north-
eastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon.
It is also cultivated in Indonesia, Thailand
and Malaysia, albeit on a smaller scale.
Also known as roundnuts, Bambara
groundnuts produce reasonable yields
even under conditions of drought and
low soil fertility. Their subterranean pods
contain one, two or three seeds that vary
in colour from black, dark brown, red,
white and cream. The crop makes few
demands on the soil, and is known to be
drought tolerant, relatively disease free,
and capable of growing on nutrient-poor
soil where most crops would not thrive.Often boiled for consumption, Bambara
groundnuts are referred to as a “complete
food” because they contain on average 63%
carbohydrate, 19% protein and 6,5% fat.They are also rich in essential amino acids.
Having saidthis,“itisaparadoxthatan
indigenous African crop which produces
almost completely balanced food and [is]
easy to cultivateandalsomakesverylittle
demand on the soil, should be relegated in
its own countries,” (Doku EV, 1996). Bambara
groundnuts, which are round in shape, can
also be dried and ground into flour.
In SouthAfrica,wheretheyareknown
as jugo beans, Bambara groundnuts are
mostly grown in Limpopo, Mpumalanga
and KwaZulu-Natal for human consumption,
and are normally intercropped with maize,
millet, sorghum and watermelons. However,
over the past few years, people have
started selling Bambara groundnuts at
local markets,butthecropisnotgrown
commercially in the country. According
to the South African Department of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, this
is becausethiscropwasneglectedby
National Research Institutes and little
was known about its optimum agronomic
practices. Nonetheless, even though the
Bambara groundnut has become less
important in SA and other parts of Africa,
there has been renewed interest for its
cultivation due to drought issues.did you
know?
BAMBARA GROUNDNUTS
BAMBARA GROUNDNUTS
These groundnuts are
produced by local people
mainly for subsistence
purposes, and boiled
Bambara groundnuts are
sold at local markets. They
are extremely tolerant of
poor soil quality
and drought, and their
nitrogen-fixing roots
help put nutrients back
into the soil, which aids
with rotational crops and
planting other staples like
sorghum, maize, millet,
cowpeas and cassava.
Bambara groundnuts are
primarily planted for their
seeds, which are used
as food, as well as during
traditional ceremonies and
gift exchanges. Bambara
groundnuts are an important
source of dietary protein
(+- 19%), carbohydrate
(+- 63%) and fat (6,5%).
Although Bambara ground-
nuts are, nutritionally
speaking, much lower in
total protein and fat than
other nuts and high-protein
legumes like peanuts,
they are rich in a wide
variety of essential amino
acids (EAA) like leucine,
lysine, methionine and
phenylalanine. EAA – which
cannot be made by the
body and therefore has
to be obtained from food
- play an important role
in building proteins and
synthesising hormones and
neurotransmitters. Bambara
groundnuts are also rich
in zinc, which is a key
element in cell defence and
immunity, as well as growth
and development.
The Future 50 Foods report, globally
co-authored by Knorr and the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF), highlights
practical ways to change the way we
eat in order to improve our fragile
food systems. In this report, 50
foods have been selected because
they have a lower impact on the
environment than animal-based
foods and are nutritious.FOODANDHOME.CO.ZA APRIL 2019 43CONSCIOUS EATING