Egusi belongs to the family of water melons. They grow in gourds
which are mainly cultivated for their seeds as the flesh is neither
sweet nor edible. Egusi seeds are small and flat. One end of the
seed is rounded while the other is tapered. After harvest, the
gourds are left to ferment; the fermented flesh is then washed off
the seeds. The seeds are then dried and the light brown husks
removed by hand or mechanically. When ready to be used in food
recipes, the white/cream seeds are ground into powder and used as
soup thickener. Egusi seeds are in a class of their own and should
never be mistaken for pumpkin seeds.
