Red Palm Oil

Red palm oil is the unrefined form of oil pressed or milled from the fruit of the oil palm, kept in its natural deep red-orange color because it has not gone through the bleaching and deodorizing steps used to make the pale refined palm oil sold in most supermarkets. That color comes from a high concentration of carotenoids, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene, which also give it a distinctive taste often described as adding a peppery bite compared with refined oil, along with vitamin A and vitamin E that refined palm oil largely lacks. It is a traditional cooking oil in West Africa, where it is a defining ingredient in dishes such as egusi soup and okra soup, distinct from the flavorless refined palm oil used industrially worldwide.