Coccinia abyssinica
Origin: Ethiopia
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~12
Germination tested 01/2025: 91%
Life cycle: Perennial
We are beyond excited to be offering seeds for this amazing Ethiopian root crop, thanks to our wonderful friends at The Utopian Seed Project in North Carolina, who introduced us to this crop and produced these seeds. Anchote (pronounced ahn-CHO-tee) is the Afan Oromo word for Coccinia abyssinica, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family (like squash, cucumber, melons, etc), which has quite a few other edible cousins within its hardly-a-household-name genus (the best known of which is Coccinia grandis, whose immature fruits are a popular vegetable in India as "tindora", or "ivy gourd" in English).
A few other members of the cucurbit family also have edible roots, but as far as we know anchote is the only one that legitimately qualifies as a staple crop. After getting to know it a bit, we are convinced it has potential to become a major crop in the hotter, drier future-world we're presently barrelling towards. Critically, in a country that had potential for extreme weather, including extended droughts sometimes leading to famine, even before global heating really took off in earnest, anchote can be stored fresh for a very long time, buried in an underground pit and dug up as needed.
Anchote is grown most widely in parts of southern, western, and southwestern Ethiopia, in particular the Wollega, Iluababor, Jimma, Kaffa, and Sidama Zones, both in backyard gardens and as a row crop in smallholder farmers. The most diversity seems to exist in Oromia Regional State, especially around Wellega, in western Ethiopia. The name is sometimes pronounced "ancootee" in Oromo, and it is also called Ushushu in the Welayita language, Shushe in the Dawuro language, and Ajjo in the Kafigna language. It is a highly regional crop, little known even in other parts of Ethiopia. Typically found at elevations between 4,250 and 9,200 feet (1300-2800 meters) where there's annual rainfall of 30 to 40 inches (762-1016 millimeters), it's generally planted in spring or early summer and harvested 4 to 5 months later in summer or fall (or sometimes as late as December, which is in the thick of their usual dry season). Anchote is considered an extremely drought-resistant crop, able to produce a crop even in years when other key crops, like cereals, fail. And it compares favorably to other staple root crops, like potato and sweet potato, in terms of overall yield per acre. The young shoots and leaves can also be eaten, and are high in protein, though apparently not all communities bother with them as food for humans. The entire plant, including the root, is frequently fed to animals. The fruit are not considered food by most sources, but apparently they are consumed in some places (perhaps medicinally, or perhaps in places where particularly nice-fruited varieties exist). Every source we've found gives credit to Ethiopian women for all parts of anchote production, from planting and harvesting to breeding and ongoing crop improvement work.
The tubers of anchote are rich in crude fiber, protein, calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium, which is unusual for root crops. It's such a complete food that a flour made from the tuber (usually by sun-drying slices and pounding into a powder) is used as supplementary food for infants and young children. One potential drawback of the crop is the presence of certain anti-nutrients, including tannins, oxalates, and cyanide, though not apparently in high enough quantities to prevent it from being routinely eaten (many commonly consumed foods also contain these). Nevertheless, it makes sense to consume in moderation — and more research into these anti-nutritive components is necessary. Luckily for those who enjoy the tuber, these anti-nutrients are found in the highest quantities in the leaves. It's also likely, given the high degree of genetic diversity that exists in the crop, that it would be possible to breed out excessive anti-nutrients over time. And on the subject of diversity, it's worth mentioning that there are generally two types of anchote: the "white" type (whose roots have a tan interior) and the "red" type (whose roots have a pink interior. They can have somewhat different nutritional profiles. This variety is a white type.
Anchote roots can be roasted, but are usually boiled, with or without the skin (though keeping the skin on helps to keep in flavor and nutrition). It is peeled before eating. Common preparations include mashing and adding butter and salt, much as we in the US eat potatoes. A dish of boiled and sliced anchote in butter is traditionally served for the Meskel holiday every September. A particular stew with anchote is commonly served at weddings, engagements, birthdays, and religious holidays. Seasoning with herbs like coriander, basil, ginger, and garlic, plus some salt, is common, as is using mashed anchote as a condiment with bread. It is often served with kochkocha, a fermented green pepper-based paste. The flour is also utilized in breads and porridges.
According to local tradition, anchote can help in healing broken bones and displaced joints. It is also believed that anchote can help with lactation, and a juice from the tuber is traditionally used to treat gonorrhea, tuberculosis, and even tumors. In addition to its medicinal use, which deserves much more study, agronomists suggest that it could be a valuable source of edible and industrial starch, and that the processed starch is in many ways superior to commonly produced starches from other staple crops, including sweet potato, rice, wheat, and corn. Additionally, it has potential as a source for ethanol, glue, and even biodegradable food packaging and other bioplastics.
In short, this is a truly amazing plant that farmers and researchers around the world should begin getting to know much better. We're excited about getting to know it better ourselves — and you can bet we're already starting to ask around for one of those red types!
We are working to identify an organization in Ethiopia with which to share some of the proceeds of this amazing crop and will update this page as soon as we do. If you have any ideas, please reach out!
GROWING TIPS: Direct-sow after soil has warmed up in the spring, a couple weeks after last frost, at least. Provide a five or six foot trellis, as the vine likes to climb upwards. Dig roots around the onset of frost in the fall. The plant can be repropagated from stored tubers or grown from seed.
NOTE: The photo of the flower is from author Pharoah han and is shared here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Others are either from Chris, Nate, or else — in the case of the illustration by James Bruce — in the public domain.
