Zomi or cooking palm fruit oil is made by boiling ripened and already harvested palm nut fruit in a big pot for about 40 minutes until it becomes soft and tender.

The cooked fruits are scooped into a big mortar and gently squashed with a pestle, avoiding damaging the nut, but only to squeeze out the juice on the covering pulp. Once this is done, the juice obtained is filtered to remove the shaft and then boiled again.

At this stage, the fresh oil would be seen floating on top of the content of the pot which is scooped off into yet another pot.

Fresh oil from palm fruit is traditionally used in eating roasted yam or plantain in Africa, especially in farms after a hard day’s job.

Cooking palm fruit oil remains the largest source of tocotrienols – a form of vitamin E known to man. This helps in protecting the body against diseases like cancer, blood disorders,and help maintains good skin and fertility.

It is also very rich in the form of vitamin A that helps in ensuring good vision and preventing night blindness and many other types of eye problems.