Food-grade unrefined shea butter — the ancestral cooking fat of the West African savanna belt, extracted by women's hands for 4,000 years. Contains tocotrienol Vitamin E (superior to tocopherol) and unique fatty acids not found in other cooking fats.
For West African diaspora from the Sahel (Malian, Burkinabé, Ghanaian, northern Nigerian), shea butter is the fat that their ancestors cooked with. Finding food-grade shea butter in the US is increasingly possible through West African grocery stores and online. Using it for cooking is using the ancestral fat of 4,000 years.
Shea butter's tocotrienol content is the most pharmacologically significant nutritional claim — tocotrienols are 40-60x more potent antioxidants than the tocopherol form of Vitamin E found in standard supplements, and have demonstrated neuroprotective effects (blocking glutamate toxicity in neurons), significant anti-cancer activity against breast cancer and melanoma cell lines, and anti-inflammatory activity. The stearic acid (43%) is notable: unlike palmitic acid, stearic acid does not raise LDL cholesterol and is rapidly converted to oleic acid (the healthy fat in olive oil) in the liver. Lupeol from shea butter has documented anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity. The cinnamic acid esters provide mild UV protection (natural SPF 6-10).
Use in place of butter or other cooking fats for West African preparations. Sauté vegetables, fry akara, or use in groundnut stew. The flavor is mild and slightly nutty. Available at West African grocery stores labeled 'raw shea butter for cooking' or 'unrefined shea.' Do not use cosmetic shea butter (may contain additives) — use only food-grade.
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