Dihé: spirulina as a traditional food of Lake Chad
Dihé: la espirulina como alimento tradicional del lago Chad
- Date
- 1940 · confidence medium
- Place
- Bol, Lac, Chad
- Credited to
- Kanembu people; scientific description by Pierre Dangeard (1940) and study by Jean Léonard (1960s)
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
The Kanembu harvest the cyanobacterium Spirulina from the alkaline ponds of Lake Chad and dry it into cakes called dihé to eat in sauces. In 1940 Dangeard described it as human food, and later study prompted spirulina cultivation.
The Aztecs ate a similar alga (tecuitlatl) on Lake Texcoco, described in the 16th century. The first scientific description of dihé dates from 1940; Léonard's field study from the 1960s. Kanembu use is much older and undated.
What it led to
- industrial spirulina cultivation as a protein supplement
- interest from space agencies and health bodies in its nutritional value
- recognition of traditional African food knowledge
Built on
- Smoking and drying of food