Egusi

Egusi, also spelled egushi[1] (Yoruba: Ẹ̀gúṣí),[2] are the protein-rich seeds of certain cucurbitaceous plants (squash, melon, gourd), which, after being dried and ground, are used as a major ingredient in West African cuisine.

[7] Scholars disagree whether the word is used more properly for the seeds of the colocynth, those of a particular large-seeded variety of the watermelon, or generically for those of any cucurbitaceous plant.

Major egusi-growing nations include Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Mali, and Cameroon.

"[30][22][23] In Ghana, egusi is also called akatoa, egushi[1] or agushi, and is used for soup and stew,[31] most popularly in palaver sauce.

[32] In the late 1980s, the Government of Canada funded a project intended to develop a machine to help Cameroonians shell egusi seeds.