Special Issue Introduction: Africa and Her Indigenous Food (Volume 1)

This special issue of Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, the first of two volumes, provides a comprehensive exploration of the empirical, chemical, and functional characterization of indigenous African foods. While Africa accounts for 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, the region faces significant food insecurity, with over 20% of its population experiencing hunger and widespread micronutrient deficiencies. This volume addresses these challenges by shifting the scientific focus toward underutilized traditional and indigenous crops that offer superior nutritional bioavailability and climate resilience compared to commercial monocultures. The nine articles featured in this volume investigate a diverse range of topics, including the proximate composition, bioactive profiles, and rheological properties of indigenous foods. Research highlights include the successful substitution of margarine with ube (or African pear) paste (Dacryodes edulis) in baked goods, the nutritional potential of African mahogany seed oil, and the reduction of anti-nutrients in cocoyam using moringa leaf powder. Further contributions explore the role of fermentation in food security, sodium reduction in traditional South African dry sausages, and the nutritional profiles of jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius) fruits and leaves. Additionally, this volume examines indigenous dairy products like Shimpia in Ethiopia and the optimization of agronomic practices for anchote (Coccinia abyssinica). Collectively, these studies provide the analytical evidence necessary to standardize food composition data and integrate indigenous African foods into global food chemistry frameworks, promoting sustainable, nutrition-sensitive food systems.