"Sump" or "desert date" oil
The "sump" tree is common throughout the Sahel because it is resistant
to drought and overgrazing. It is also cultivated in Egypt, the Sudan,
Arabia and India.
This thorny tree can grow to 8 or 9 meters in height. The thorns are long, sturdy, and straight and can reach 8 cm in length.
The fruit is a green, egg-shaped drupe, which turns yellow as it
ripens. Inside the date-like form is an oleaginous kernel from which
vegetable oil can be produced.
The fruit is called "desert date" or "sump" in Wolof. The term
"Egyptian mirobalan" is used only for the unripened fruit. The oil is
pale yellow in color, mild in smell and taste, and solidifies below 5°
The stone of the fruit contains 44% unsaturated oil, which is used in
the rural Senegalese diet.
The kernel is also rich in protein (26 to
Owing to its composition (30% saturated fatty acids, 70% unsaturated
fatty acids: oleic and linoleic), the oil has a low viscosity.
Palmitic acid: 16.4%
Stearic acid: 11.3%
Oleic acid: 33.7%
Linoleic acid: 38.6%
The proportion of unsaponifiable matter is less than 1%.
The fruit is consumed for its carbohydrate and vitamin content. It can
be sucked like candy and is sold at city markets. It is valued for its
laxative effect and its regulation of high blood pressure.
The oil extracted from the kernel is also consumed in the African diet.
It is useful as cooking oil because it has a smoking point above that
of peanut oil. It also has a better balance of unsaturated fatty acids.
Traditional qualities and uses
In Senegal, producing oil from the kernel remains a marginal activity,
for it is difficult work and extracting the kernel manually is an
The oil is endowed with very good culinary properties, but remains
relatively unknown outside areas where it is produced. The way it is
used in traditional Senegalese cooking is similar to that of " beurre
de lait ".
The oil is used in traditional pharmacopeias to treat skin diseases.
Sump oil can be used to control high blood pressure. It is also used in
the treatment of rheumatism.
Desert date oil has fine culinary qualities and can be used as cooking oil.
The oil can be used for massages to relieve rheumatismal aches and
pains, as well as to treat skin problems. It is also employed in