Egusi belongs to the family of water melons. They grow in gourds which are mainly cultivated for their seeds as the flesh is neither sweet nor edible. Egusi seeds are small and flat. One end of the seed is rounded while the other is tapered.

After harvest, the gourds are left to ferment; the fermented flesh is then washed off the seeds. The seeds are then dried and the light brown husks removed by hand or mechanically. When ready to be used in food recipes, the white/cream seeds are ground into powder and used as soup thickener.

Egusi seeds are in a class of their own and should never be mistaken for pumpkin seeds.