The oil palm tree is one of the most useful plants in West Africa. Its orange-red fruit contains a rich oil that has been used in cooking for thousands of years. To make palm butter, the fruit is boiled, pounded and strained until it becomes a smooth, velvety sauce the colour of a deep sunset. The process takes time and effort, and the smell while it cooks is wonderfully warm and nutty.
Palm butter sauce is loaded with different additions depending on the cook and what is available: pieces of chicken, smoked fish, dried shrimp, okra, spinach-like greens and a little chilli for heat. Every family has its own version, and Liberian grandmothers are said to make the very best. The sauce poured over perfectly cooked white rice makes one of the most satisfying meals imaginable.
The oil palm tree is so central to Liberian life that it appears on the country's coat of arms. Beyond cooking, palm oil is used in everything from soap to medicine. The palm tree's leaves are also woven into baskets, mats and roofing. In Liberia, almost no part of the oil palm goes to waste.