Baobab

The baobab is a huge, swollen-trunked deciduous tree of dry African savanna. Its woody, velvety fruit is the size of a small football and is filled with pale, dry, powdery pulp threaded with fibres, in which dozens of hard, dark brown, kidney-shaped seeds are embedded.

The pulp tastes sharply acidic and slightly sweet, somewhat like sherbet or tamarind. The seeds are about the size of a large bean, with a nutty, faintly bitter kernel inside a hard coat.

On the market, baobab is sold mostly as a fine off-white pulp powder, but whole seeds, roasted seeds, ground seed meal and cold-pressed seed oil are also traded, mainly from Africa.

Adansonia digitata is native to the drier parts of mainland sub-Saharan Africa, from the Sahel down to southern Africa. Other species of the genus occur in Madagascar and northwest Australia, but the African species is the one with the widest food use.

The tree has long been carried and protected by people, so some stands outside its natural range, including in coastal East Africa and parts of South Asia, are the result of old trade and human movement. It is a managed wild and semi-wild resource rather than a typical domesticated crop.

The genus name honours the French naturalist Michel Adanson, who described the tree in Senegal in the 18th century. The word baobab is generally thought to be of African or possibly Arabic origin, though its exact derivation is debated.

For many communities across Africa the baobab is a landmark, a source of food and a meeting place. Fruit pulp is dissolved in water or milk for a tangy drink, the leaves are cooked as a vegetable, bark fibre is twisted into rope, and the huge hollow trunks have served as shelters and water stores.

The seeds have been eaten roasted or fermented into seasoning in parts of West Africa, and ground to thicken sauces. Pressed oil has been used as a food and in skin care.

Arab and Indian Ocean traders carried baobab to the coasts of East Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and old trees there still mark trading ports. European travellers wrote about the tree from the 15th century onward, and it became an emblem of the African landscape in colonial-era literature.

In 2008 baobab fruit pulp was authorised as a novel food ingredient in the European Union, and in the United States it was allowed for use in foods shortly afterwards. That opened a new export market, and rural women in countries such as Senegal, Mali, Malawi and Zimbabwe now gather fruit for a growing international trade in the powder.

Baobab pulp powder is stirred into water, juice, smoothies, porridge and yoghurt, or baked into bars and biscuits for its tart flavour. In Africa it is traditionally dissolved to make a refreshing drink and used to sour sauces and gruels.

The seeds can be roasted and eaten as a snack, ground into a coffee-like drink in some regions, or pressed for a pale oil that is used in cooking and, more often, in cosmetics.

Traditionally, pulp has been used in home remedies for fever and digestive complaints, but this rests on custom rather than clinical proof.

The empty fruit shells are used as bowls, containers and scoops, and the bark and leaves also have local uses.

Baobab pulp is notably high in vitamin C and dietary fibre, and contains polyphenols, so it can be a useful contribution to a varied diet. Most research on its health effects is small-scale or laboratory-based, with limited human trials suggesting modest effects on blood sugar response after a starchy meal.

The seed kernel contains fats and protein and has been studied for its nutritional profile, but seeds are eaten in much smaller quantity than pulp.

Claims that baobab treats specific diseases are not supported by strong clinical evidence. It is best seen as a nutritious food ingredient rather than a medicine.