Shallot

West Africa’s best-known shallots come from a narrow strip of sandy land between the sea and the coastal lagoons, from Anloga and Keta in south-eastern Ghana to southern Togo, right across the border. Farmers there grow them in light, irrigated sand, then pull the clusters and dry them in the sun until the skins turn papery and red.

These are small shallots, much smaller than an onion, but with far more flavour: sweet, sharp and deeply aromatic. A handful is enough to lift a whole pot.

How we supply them:

• Two calibres: small, about 20 g and medium, about 40 g per bulb.
• Packed in ventilated mesh sacks of 10 kg or 25 kg, or by the pallet of 500 kg (50 × 10 kg).
• Stored cool, dry and well ventilated, where well-cured shallots keep for months, and shipped by sea freight in ventilated containers.

Shallots are essential in West African sauces, pepper pastes and grilled fish, and Asian and fine-dining kitchens use them a lot. Every lot is traceable to its growing area.

Order by the sack or by the pallet.