<b>The Knowledge Hidden in Plain Sight: Ìyeyè, Indigenous Food Knowledge and the Value of the Overlooked</b>

This paper uses the author’s encounter with a fruiting Ìyeyè (Spondias mombin L.) tree in a domestic environment as a reflective entry point into the broader question of how everyday indigenous food resources become overlooked despite their documented nutritional, cultural and economic value.

Drawing on ethnobotanical, nutritional and food-science literature, the paper examines Ìyeyè as an example of a locally recognised but comparatively underappreciated food resource. Existing studies identify S. mombin as a food plant in Yoruba communities and document nutritional constituents in its fruit pulp, including potassium, magnesium, sodium, ascorbic acid, β-carotene and dietary fibre. Research has also examined its antioxidant properties, ripening characteristics, processing potential and socioeconomic uses.