The fruit of the African oil palm (Elaesis guineensis), which grows throughout tropical Africa, is used in many African dishes. making palm oil from palm nuts, congoPalm nuts, the fruit of the African oil palm, are not much bigger than grapes and grow in large bunches. They are orange-red in color, and their pulp and oil give a distinctive color and taste to many African soups and stews. Palm oil is to tropical African cooking what olive oil is to Mediterranean cooking and butter is to northern European cooking.