Yeheb Nut

Cordeauxia edulis is an evergreen shrub, 1 to 3 metres tall, with small, grey-green, leathery leaves and cream-coloured flowers. The pods are short and woody and contain one to three large seeds, each about the size of a small chestnut. The seed has a reddish-brown shell and a firm, starchy kernel that tastes sweet and nutty, somewhat like a chestnut or roasted peanut when cooked. The shrub grows on deep red sandy soils in very dry, hot regions that receive little rainfall, and has a deep root system which allows it to survive long dry seasons.

Yeheb is native to a limited area of the Horn of Africa, mainly in the Ogaden region of south-eastern Ethiopia and neighbouring central and southern Somalia, in hot semi-desert scrub. It is the only species in its genus. The genus was named in honour of a British colonial administrator, Harry Cordeaux. Wild populations have been affected by overgrazing, cutting of the shrubs for fuel and loss of habitat, and the plant is considered threatened in the wild. A number of trials outside its native range have been attempted.

Pastoral peoples of Somalia and the Ogaden, including Somali herders, have long collected yeheb nuts, and in good seasons the harvest can supply a notable share of food. The nuts are eaten raw, roasted or boiled and are among the few foods available in dry seasons in the region, so they have functioned as an important emergency food. The leaves are used to produce a reddish dye, and the plant also provides browse for camels and goats.

Western botanists described the shrub in the early twentieth century, and agricultural researchers later promoted it as a potential crop for arid lands, because it produces a nutritious seed where few other food plants can grow. Trials in Kenya, Somalia and elsewhere have had mixed results, since the shrub grows slowly, is hard to propagate and its seeds do not store well. Conservation efforts and local planting programmes continue, though the plant remains little known outside its home region.

The nuts are eaten roasted, boiled or ground and cooked into porridge-like dishes, or eaten raw as a snack when fresh. They are sometimes pounded and mixed with other foods. In the Horn of Africa they are also traded in local markets. The foliage is used as browse for livestock, and a red dye from the leaves has been used for colouring hair and hides and for cosmetic purposes.

Yeheb nuts are reported to be a starchy seed with moderate protein and some fat, giving them value as a calorie source in dry regions. Analyses in the literature differ, and there is little modern nutritional data, so the figures given here are approximate. The seeds are not widely tested or studied in human nutrition. They remain mainly a traditional food whose value comes from local availability and tradition rather than a recognised health food.