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Fermentation Atlas

Soy and legumes from Nigeria

Ogiriogiri-egusi (melon seed)

Ogiri is the name for pungent, oily pastes made by fermenting boiled oilseeds in leaves. Castor, melon or fluted pumpkin seeds are boiled, shelled, boiled again, wrapped in banana leaves and left at room temperature for several days, while Bacillus bacteria make the mass soft and alkaline. Made in 5 steps over 3.1 days – 7.1 days. The longest step, ferment at room temperature, takes 3–7 days (Oladeji O.A 2025). Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. circulans and B. coagulans, which break down seed protein and fat in Nigerian legume and oilseed condiments and Bacillus subtilis isolated from melon-seed ogiri do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–7 daysReported[oladeji2025]Ferment at room temperature
AciditypH 7.5–7.8Measured[oladeji2025]Ferment at room temperature
Fully documentedSoy and legumes3.1 days – 7.1 daysMore soy and legumesMore from Nigeria

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedA traditional, household and market craft with no fixed amounts. The seed decides the variant; see ogiri egusi and ogiri-igbo for the melon and castor versions.
Castor, melon or fluted pumpkin seeds · Chosen by season and region[olanbiwoninu2026]
Water for two boils[olanbiwoninu2026]
Banana leaves · To wrap the cooked seeds[olanbiwoninu2026]
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.1 days – 7.1 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: oilseeds boiled until they soften and change colour

Step 1 of 5
Boil the seeds until soft and changed in colour
Time
2 h
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus fermentation

Output: softened seeds.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Ogiri is made from oily seeds such as castor, melon and fluted pumpkin, so it is softer and oilier than iru made from locust beans. Its seeds need about three hours of boiling in all, while locust beans are boiled for about 12 hours.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ogiri egusiMelon seeds; its own entry.
  • Ogiri-igbo (ogiri-isi)Castor seeds; its own entry.
  • Ogiri-uguFluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) seeds.
  • Ogiri saroSesame ogiri of Sierra Leone (Krio name); named in Wikipedia only.

Safety

Market ogiri can carry S. aureus and E. coli and is prone to moulds; aflatoxin B1 was found in nearly half of market samples. Castor seeds contain the toxin ricin, so castor-seed ogiri must be made with the full traditional boiling; see ogiri-igbo.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter in market melon-seed ogiri; Aflatoxin B1 in 48 % of market ogiri samples.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Ogiri and ugba are important protein and flavour sources in Igbo cooking and ceremonies. The word ogiri is listed in Crowther's 1843 Yoruba vocabulary (cited by Wikipedia).

  1. [olanbiwoninu2026] Olanbiwoninu A.A. et al. 2026, Ethnogeographic distribution of Nigerian fermented foods and the prospects for bioeconomy improvements, Foods 15(17):3087, doi:10.3390/foods15173087paper
  2. [oladeji2025] Oladeji O.A., Ogidi C.O. 2025, Enhancing the nutritional and microbiological properties of fermented melon condiment (ogiri) using Newbouldia laevis and Icacina trichantha leaves, Preventive Nutrition and Food Science 30(3):285, doi:10.3746/pnf.2025.30.3.285paper
  3. [adekoya2017] Adekoya I. et al. 2017, Awareness and prevalence of mycotoxin contamination in selected Nigerian fermented foods, Toxins 9(11):363, doi:10.3390/toxins9110363paper
  4. [wp-ogiri] Wikipedia, Ogiri (names and history only)wiki