Overview

For ages, the kola nut has been chewed fresh by the inhabitants of West Africa during their rites, ceremonies, and in everyday life. Its diverse cultural significances include serving as a gift or symbol of hospitality and connection, comparable to other practices involving economically and/or culturally important plants. Examples include the mate tea from South America or the smoking of a peace pipe.

In Ghana, for instance, chopped kola nuts are mixed with ginger and consumed as a meal during death vigils when a close relative passes away.

The fresh or slightly dried ("cured") kola nuts are sold in markets, thus playing an economic role. Nigeria, the world's leading exporter of kola nuts, was able to produce 188,700 tons of kola nuts in 2023 (FAO statistics).

Additionally, the kola nut was also used as a means of payment. The first written records date back to 1591 from the chronicler of the Portuguese circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan, from his essay "On the Kingdom of Kongo." With slave traders, young plants reached South America and other tropical regions, where they continued to be cultivated. In 1886, the world-famous refreshment drink Coca-Cola was created in America, which at that time still consisted of the namesake ingredients coca leaves and kola nuts.