Chaya use in West Africa

K[] is a rural municipality located in the west of Burkina Faso. Ten years ago, an American missionary introduced Chaya which became a well-known and well-consumed leafy vegetable for the peasants of K[]. The peasants have made Chaya leaves a component of their diet which they consume in several different forms including leaf sauce, the leaves in peanut sauce, and they have incorporated it into other local dishes.

In K[], humans are not the only ones that enjoy Chaya leaves. Goats and oxen are consuming Chaya, reducing the need for farmers to share other crops for fodder.

When asked if the Chaya had a good taste, the manager of the missionary's farm exclaimed, "If my wife makes you a peanut sauce made of Chaya leaves, you will agree that there's no better sauce than Chaya's sauce! "