The Arachides wax print (Azin tchro): name, history and meaning

Stylized peanut shells, lined up and interwoven like in a woven basket. Nothing simpler, nothing more familiar: in West Africa, peanuts are everywhere, roasted on street corners, ground into sauces, pressed into oil, shared among friends. In Benin, in Goun, this cloth is called Azin tchro: the peanut shells.

What Does "Azin Tchro" Mean?

Goun is the language of Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin, close to Fon. Azin means peanut, and tchro means shell, casing. The Wax Stories collection by the Zinsou Foundation places this cloth among the "at the table!" cloths, alongside the Shrimp or the Snail. These cloths do not tell of rivalry or proverbs: they simply celebrate the good things in life.

A Seed from America

Peanuts seem so African that we forget they come from South America. It was Portuguese sailors who brought them to the coasts of Africa in the 16th century. They liked it so much that in a few centuries they became one of the continent's major crops. It has a valuable advantage: it enriches the soil with nitrogen, which makes it a good neighbor for millet and sorghum.

Peanuts, the "Gold" of the Sahel

In the 19th and 20th centuries, peanuts became a major export crop. In Senegal, an entire region still bears the name peanut basin. In northern Nigeria, around Kano, harvests were so abundant in the 1950s and 1960s that bags were stacked in huge peanut pyramids, photographed around the world and becoming a symbol of prosperity. Even today, West Africa is among the world's major producers.

Peanuts at the Table

Peanuts are at the heart of West African cuisine:

• Mafé, the famous peanut sauce from Senegal and Mali, served with rice.
• Peanut sauce, which can be found in a thousand forms from Benin to Cameroon.
• Kuli-kuli, small crispy fried peanut paste biscuits, very popular in Benin and Nigeria.
• Roasted peanuts, sold in small bags at the market, that we snack on while chatting.
• Peanut oil, for a long time the reference cooking oil.

Freshly harvested peanuts are also eaten boiled, still in their shell, and it is often several people who shell them. The shells of the Azin tchro cloth evoke these moments of sharing.

What the Peanut Cloth Says

• Abundance: a generous harvest, a home where nothing is lacking.
• Sharing: peanuts are snacked on together, offered to visitors.
• The earth: a crop that grows underground and nourishes it in return.
• Simplicity: an everyday pleasure, accessible to all.

Wax Cloths and Their Names

To understand why each cloth has a name, read our article on the history of wax and the language of cloths.

Our Tribute: Azin Tchro, the Peanuts

At KEMI HOME ART, we chose the Goun name of the cloth for our reinterpretation. Its stylized shells dress our plates, our cups, our mugs and our large dishes. Each pattern is prepared in our workshop in Alfortville, then placed and glazed by hand before firing, to order.

All our pieces are customizable: color, first name, date or message. Write to us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Azin tchro" mean?
"The peanut shells", in Goun, the language of Porto-Novo in Benin.

What does the Peanut cloth symbolize?
Abundance and sharing: it belongs to the family of "at the table!" cloths, which celebrate what we grow and what we eat.

Are peanuts native to Africa?
No, they come from South America. The Portuguese introduced them to Africa in the 16th century, where they became a major crop.

What African dishes use peanuts?
Mafé, peanut sauces, kuli-kuli, roasted or boiled peanuts, and peanut oil.

Sources: Wax Stories, Fondation Zinsou, Cotonou, 2019 · Encyclopædia Universalis, Peanut