Looking for West African Palm Butter

A long time ago I lived for a year in Liberia. I remember a wonderful local specialty, stewed chicken with palm butter, served over the local brown rice.

I saw a blog by a Liberian lady copllege professor in the US, and I asked her about this. She replied that palm butter, or Trofai should be available at African groceries in bigger US cities.

Cay anybody point me to such a grocery - I'm in the western 'burbs and not that familiar with the Chicago specailty shopping scene.

Thanks,

Mike

Cans of Trofai brand palm nut paste should be available at Old World Market on the north side and La Fruteria on the south. There are probably many more local sources but these are the two largest African markets I know of. Both are excellent stores, very worth visiting.

When I was at La Fruteria earlier this month I noticed a new brand of Liberian pepper paste that I regret not buying. I can't swear they had Trofai but I think it was there—middle aisle, north side, above the jugs of palm oil.

Old World Market
5129 N Broadway (at Winona)
Chicago
773-989-4440

La Fruteria
8909 S Commercial Av (3000 E)
Chicago
773-768-4969

Try these stores...at my last job I worked with some folks from Ghana and Nigeria and these are some of the stores they shopped at:

Unity Food Import
8462 South Commercial Ave.
773-375-0800

Makola African Super Market
1017 West Wilson
773-935-6990

Golden Country
2355 S. Blue Island Avenue
773-847-1700

Ash Town Store
4560 N Broadway St
773-293-1252

Sesi African Grocery
17545 Kedzie Ave
Hazel Crest, IL 60429
708-206-0334‎

They all go to these stores but the last one, Sesi, is supposed to be really good. I assume it is because one of the guy's lives in Schaumburg and he drives all the way to Hazel Crest to shop there with his wife.

Thanks to both of you for the help. I will see about getting into the city to check out one or more of these suggestions.

Rene- you mentioned a "new Liberian pepper paste." A staple when I was there was Billy Goat Pepper Soup, which was touted as a prime hangover cure.
It was so hot you forgot all about the hangover. I've read suggestions that the Billy Goat Pepper came over with the Africans to the West Indes and was the antecedent to the Habanero.

Mike

qofu2 wrote:Try these stores...at my last job I worked with some folks from Ghana and Nigeria and these are some of the stores they shopped at:

Unity Food Import
8462 South Commercial Ave.
773-375-0800

Makola African Super Market
1017 West Wilson
773-935-6990

Golden Country
2355 S. Blue Island Avenue
773-847-1700

Ash Town Store
4560 N Broadway St
773-293-1252

Sesi African Grocery
17545 Kedzie Ave
Hazel Crest, IL 60429
708-206-0334‎

They all go to these stores but the last one, Sesi, is supposed to be really good. I assume it is because one of the guy's lives in Schaumburg and he drives all the way to Hazel Crest to shop there with his wife.

I'd never heard of Sesi but it sounded worth exploring. Thanks for mentioning it. It's not a large store but it seems to have all the Nigerian staples. The big attraction is the home cooked lunches. For $10 I got a big serving of jollof rice with goat and plantains, an excellent plate of food. Depending on the day there might be egusi, ewedu, ogbono, asaro or ewa agayin. Very nice proprietors and an all-around good experience (just not as extensive a grocery selection as I expected).

Ash Town has been gone for some time now; it's now Smoke Dreams. A few doors south is Kaneshie (4548 N Broadway; 773-506-2800), a rather sparse but pleasant Ghanaian store.

Golden Country is a huge importer and wholesaler of Asian goods. African products make up a small part of their line but I don't think they sell retail.

Makola is a small but dense Ghanaian market. Of note are some home cooked items (no full meals as far as I know) and nice variety of prepared kenkey and other starches.

Unity has been gone for quite a while. I think it went by the name African Home Food Market before it closed some years ago.

For palm butter as well as an interesting array of other groceries I'd stick with my original recommendation of La Fruteria or Old World Market. Trofai brand (from Ivory Coast) is available at both stores. Old World also carries a "Liberian style" brand (but I couldn't find any country of origin on the label). Several Ghanaian brands are widely available. Any idea how these differ?

I believe the Liberian pepper paste I had a few years back contained mostly habaneros and smoked herring. I thought it was a bit much to use straight as a condiment but it was a fantastic cooking ingredient, lending great depth of flavor to soups, stews etc.

I cannot vouch for this store since I've never been in it, but there is an African market located in a strip mall in Schaumburg.

Riteprice African Food Market
2227 West Schaumburg road
Schaumburg, IL. 60194
Phone: (847)352-4951