Northern Benin · Benin
Wagashi.
Wagashi greets you with the pure, clean taste of fresh milk—delicate and subtly tangy, with a semi-firm texture that's neither rubbery nor soft. It carries the faint, floral minerality of the Calotropis plant used to coagulate it, a whisper of something wild and unfamiliar that grounds this gentle cheese in the Sahel landscape. Best encountered warm from a grill or pan, where its mild exterior gives way to a slightly yielding bite.
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The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Wagashi is West Africa's most significant cheese, made by Fulani (Peul) herders across Benin, Togo, Nigeria, and Ghana.
It is coagulated using the latex of the Calotropis procera plant (sodom apple), making it unique among world cheeses. It can be eaten fresh, fried, or grilled and holds significant cultural importance for Fulani pastoral communities.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Cow · raw
- Family
- Fresh
- Rind
- rindless
- Age
- 0 mo
- Intensity
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
Caseo's flavour axes are calibrated against reference cheeses. This is Wagashi's fingerprint.
Aroma
Nutrition · per 100g serving
What's in a wedge.
A 100g serving — about a finger-thick wedge. Daily values use the FDA 2020 reference of 2,000 kcal. Expect ±5% variation between wheels.
Estimated values — based on similar cheese family data
Pairings · Caseo curated
What goes with Wagashi.
27 pairings across 6 categories.
Wine
Beer & Cider
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
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