The kneading process is the actual extraction phase. All the preliminary activities of boiling, shelling, drying, crushing, roasting and milling serve to make extraction process more productive. Kneading is a manual process that is done in a deep basin. The paste is mixed with water to make it easy to knead. The women knead this brown paste with their hands and continue to add water until a white butter rises to the surface. In one Shea producing area, I observed women kneading with their feet, in a manner similar to stomping grapes in the Mediterranean.
Hand churning is the preferred method in this process.
