Néré seeds

Néré seeds are used to flavor the sauces that accompany every meal of Tô or rice which is the staple food of the Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, Néré trees where Néré seeds come from are never cleared from farming land because their black seeds are a vital part of every meal. The Néré seeds are fermented and shaped into balls, called Soumbala or Maggi Africain (African stock-cubes). It is a practice in Burkina Faso that when a landowner leases a plot of land to another farmer, the rights of the tree crops go to the tenant. But if there are Néré trees on the land the owner will always keep the rights to the crop.