Palm Oil Processing

8 May

Because palm oil added calories and flavor to traditional African dishes, it entrenched itself in the culinary landscape long before it became a product of corporate agriculture. The following pictures illustrate the basic technologies developed to garner the most from the oily seeds/fruits of the African oil palm:

Preparing the oil seeds for processing (Photo credit: One Village Inititive)

Preparing the oil seeds for processing (Photo credit: One Village Initiative)

Boiling the palm oil fruits. (Photo credit: One Village Initiative)

Boiling the palm oil fruits. (Photo credit: One Village Initiative)

Stirring the boiled palm oil fruits.

Stirring the boiled palm oil fruits.

Pressing the palm oil seeds.

Pressing the palm oil seeds.

Palm oil seed fibers.

Palm oil seed fibers.

Palm oil in all its orangeness. (Photo credit: One Village Initiative)

Palm oil in all its orangeness. (Photo credit: One Village Initiative)


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2 Responses to “Palm Oil Processing”

  1. Hazel May 8, 2009 at 12:42 PM #

    Interesting and timely too. I was having an oatmeal cookie and asked husband to read the ingredients because I thought I could taste coconut. No – he said- just palm oil. That got me thinking – what the heck is palm oil anyway? Thanks for explaining

    Hazel, Toronto

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  1. Diaspora in the blogosphere… « Roots Cuisine - May 28, 2009

    [...] Cynthia Bertelsen at  Gherkins & Tomatoes,  discusses the paradox of Palm Oil and shares some stunning pictures of its production process. [...]

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