Shea butter

A container of shea butter as sold in Benin

Seeds of a shea tree—raw materials for oil production

The Shea Nut.

Shea butter (/ʃiː/ shee, /ˈʃiːə/ SHEE-ə, or /ʃeɪ/ shay; Bambara: sìtulu ߛߌ߮ߕߎߟߎ^[1]) is a fat (triglyceride; mainly oleic acid and stearic acid) extracted from the nut of the African shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa).^[2] It is ivory in color when raw and commonly dyed yellow with borututu root or palm oil. It is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer, salve or lotion. It is edible and is used in food preparation in some African countries.^[3] It is occasionally mixed with other oils as a substitute for cocoa butter, although the taste is noticeably different.^[4]^[5]

The English word "shea" comes from sǐ, the tree's name in Bambara.^[6] It is known by many local names, such as kpakahili in the Dagbani language, taama in the Wali language, nkuto in Twi, kaɗe or kaɗanya in Hausa, òkwùmá in the Igbo language, òrí in the Yoruba language, and karité in the Wolof language of Senegal.^[7] It is also known as Moo-yaa in the Acholi language.^[8]

^ "S". Manding (Bambara/Dioula) Dictionary. An ka taa. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
^ Alfred Thomas (2002). "Fats and Fatty Oils". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_173. ISBN 978-3527306732.
^ National Research Council (2006-10-31). Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables (2006). National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10333-6.
^ E. T. Masters, J. A. Yidana and P. N. Lovett (2004). "Reinforcing sound management through trade: shea tree products in Africa".
^ Fold, N. 2000. (2013-01-14). "A matter of good taste? Quality and the construction of standards for chocolate in the European Union. Cahiers d'Economie et Sociologie Rurales, 55/56: 92–110" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Manding (Bambara/Dioula) Dictionary. An ka taa. Retrieved May 15, 2022". Retrieved 15 May 2022.
^ Goreja, W. G. (2004). "2". Shea Butter: The Nourishing Properties of Africa's Best-Kept Natural Beauty Secret. TNC International. p. 5. ISBN 9780974296258.
^ "The wonder oil of the North". Monitor. 2020-09-14. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

[1] "S". Manding (Bambara/Dioula) Dictionary. An ka taa. Retrieved May 15, 2022.

[Ullmann-2] Alfred Thomas (2002). "Fats and Fatty Oils". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_173. ISBN 978-3527306732.

[Lost_crops_of_Africa-3] National Research Council (2006-10-31). Lost Crops of Africa: Volume II: Vegetables (2006). National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10333-6.

[sheatreeproducts-4] E. T. Masters, J. A. Yidana and P. N. Lovett (2004). "Reinforcing sound management through trade: shea tree products in Africa".

[5] Fold, N. 2000. (2013-01-14). "A matter of good taste? Quality and the construction of standards for chocolate in the European Union. Cahiers d'Economie et Sociologie Rurales, 55/56: 92–110" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[6] "Manding (Bambara/Dioula) Dictionary. An ka taa. Retrieved May 15, 2022". Retrieved 15 May 2022.

[goreja-7] Goreja, W. G. (2004). "2". Shea Butter: The Nourishing Properties of Africa's Best-Kept Natural Beauty Secret. TNC International. p. 5. ISBN 9780974296258.

[8] "The wonder oil of the North". Monitor. 2020-09-14. Retrieved 2024-02-20.

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