Nuts
Vitellaria paradoxa
S tier
Vitellaria paradoxa is the modern botanical name of the shea tree, the precise identity behind shea nuts and butter across the African savanna belt. Everything culinary points to butter extraction, not dessert kernels. A good V. paradoxa product states food or cosmetic grade. A bad product blurs them. Traditional West African soups know edible shea; face creams are another industry. Source transparently.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Food ButterFryKernel ProcessingStew Fat
Traits
Butter SourceNutty FatSavanna TreeShea SpeciesSolid ButterSpecies LevelTraditionalWomen-Led Harvest Often
History
Botanical consensus moved toward Vitellaria paradoxa for the shea tree.
Certification literature standardised V. paradoxa.
Vitellaria paradoxa remains the reference scientific name on quality shea docs.