Soumbala

Soumbala as we call it in Burkina Faso is a spice commonly found in west african coutries. It is made out of African Locust Beans. Nope Locust do not shit beans. The actual tree name is Parkia biglobosa.

We all agree that soumbala has a smell and that’s the reason we use it in some of our cuisine. It is mainly used for cooking stews, rice (soumbala rice), etc. Though rarely, some people also eat it witout raw. And let me tell you, there are foods that when cooked without soumbala you don’t want to eat it. I could not explain the smell of it as I couldn’t think of any wester food that smell like it.

However the smell of the soumbala that we like becomes quickly controversial as we start to encounter people from other countries especially from Europe and the US. I am making a big generalization here, but I am still to meet a european or american that will like soumbala.

Let me tell you some quick stories of people cooking soumbala.

When I wanted to move to France, that’s when I start to notice that soumbala has a bad reputation on its back. In fact even before packing my suitcases, I started to hear that soumbala smells a lot, that I should not bring it. But still I brought it and I put it in multiple plastic bags trying to suppress the smell. I succeeded in containing the smell inside my bag, but it got on my clothes when I got in France ;), it bothered me, but in the same way I would react if my clothes smelt another food.

After I moved my friends told me that they didn’t cook soumbala, because they lived in student houses and, of course soumbala smells a lot. So I did as my friends said and only cooked soumbala few times and I made sure I was alone in the kitchen.

An american smells soumbala for the first time (probably)

I remember one time cooking a stew (sauce rabilé) that is eaten with meat. My american friend had told me prior that she will come visit me. In my mind I knew she wouldn’t like the smell but I still wanted to eat the stew and meat. After I finished cooking, I made sure to open all the windows, and vaporize some deodorant. Still when she got at my place, the first thing she said, was that it smells different and weird. I vaporized more deodorant.

Cooking soumbala in a student residence

A friend also shared his soumabal story. After living in a student house for a while, he decided to cook soumbala for the first time in France and to reminds himself from some tastes from back home. While the food was still cooking, he met some students in tha hall that were reacting with disgust. And then he met a friend who clearly said that there the hall smelt like death. But they didn’t know he was the chef or butcher here ;). To keep it secret he waited for everyone to get in their rooms and made sure nobody was there to see him when he went to the kitchen and retreive his food.

Cooking soumbala in a airbnb

This story happens during holidays. My friends had decided to spend the new year in another city in France. They rented an Airbnb and we all met there for the party. On the second day, we cooked a soup (stew) made with soumbala, and like naturally the discussion occured about the smell. We decided that when we live the place we will open all the windows to let air flow in and also put deodorant. All this to make sure that the host doesn’t say that their house smells bad. You know, usually in this situation we care less about breaking something than letting the smell of soumbala stay.

The berry on top the cake

This is story a friend told me about a family in the US who where living in an appartment and decided to cook soumbala. While they were cooking the food, their door bell rang and at their surprise it was the police, responding at a call made by their neighbor believing that therse was a death. The familly had told the police that they were not hiding anything and they were just making food. The police decided to check the house and when they got to the kitchen they all ran aback and called for the scientific police. They came with their laboratory clothes and investigated the kitchen. After a while finding nothing and the familly telling them it was food, the police still decided to ask the familly to eat the food in front of them so that they will beleive it.