African mango

“Gabonese chocolate” – the roasted seeds of this tree make odika, a dark paste used to thicken sauces.

A tree up to 40 m tall, native to forests from Nigeria to the Congo and named after Gabon. It bears yellowish-green, fleshy, mango-like fruits that are eagerly eaten by elephants and gorillas, which spread the seeds. People value above all the large, oily seeds: dried and ground, they give a thick, sticky mass used to thicken dishes. Seed extracts are sold worldwide as supplements under the name “African mango”.

Significance in the country

Odika, a paste of roasted seeds pressed into dark blocks, is sometimes called “Gabonese chocolate” and is the basis of traditional sauces for fish and meat; selling it at the markets of Libreville is an important source of income for rural women.

Where it grows

In forests throughout the country, often left standing or planted near villages; the fruit is harvested in the rainy season.

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