In more than 30 African countries, the mighty baobab tree is full of significance and superstition. Parts of the tree are used to treat malaria and infertility. On occasion, women give birth inside its hollow trunk. Now, the rest of the world is catching on to the benefits of the baobab fruit, which health food companies are trumpeting as the newest “superfood”.
According to the Grocer, Ocado has reported a 27% increase in weekly sales since the start of 2018, thanks, in part, to the rise of “liquid breakfasts”. Baobab, in its white powder form, is used predominantly in smoothies and porridge. It was approved for European markets only 10 years ago, but thanks to its purported levels of antioxidants, potassium and phosphorus, high level of vitamin C, calcium and fibre, it has seen its uses expanded into gin, beauty products and yoghurt.
And with an increased interest in west African cooking, it is also appearing on British menus such as Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen in east London. “We make baobab butter for our baobab popcorn, we also use it to marinate and pan-fry tilapia and prawns sometimes and we’re experimenting with a baobab ice cream,” said Zoe Adjonyoh, the restaurant’s founder.
Across Africa, the baobab tree is a common sight – as is the fruit in local markets. But, given its health properties and the hype around fellow super imports such as açaí and goji berries, it seems surprising that it’s taken this long to catch on elsewhere, though western companies have long used the tree as a way to appear authentically “African”. In an attempt to connect with Nigerians, McDonald’s proclaimed itself to be as “deeply rooted” in the community as “the unique African baobab tree”.
The issue is, perhaps, an aesthetic one: though the tree is photogenic and pops up in Instagram feeds, the fruit – large, oblong with a velvety green fur – is less appealing for social media. The fruit’s inside off-white powdery appearance also makes it a challenge for food photographers.
Chandni Sanghani of Aduna, a company specialising in African-based foods, said: “It’s hard to sell to a western customer because of how it looks – we have no frame of reference.” Taste-wise, she added, it has proved a surprising hit among her customers for its “healthy sherbet flavour”.
Baobab is harvested using a stick that is looped around a branch 20-metres high and pulled down, causing the fruits to fall.
While Aduna works to ensure trade is fair, there are concerns that if it takes off internationally, the baobab would become tantamount to a crop, which could threaten it as a local resource and a key part of local diets and medicines. Failure to regulate the harvest and export, and over-farming, could also affect the tree’s biodiversity.
The hope is that if farmers are able to regulate in the same way the coffee industry has attempted to, it could be a boon to the African market. Until then, it is best used with care and consideration for its sourcing. Remember too, the old Akan and Ewe proverb: “Knowledge is like a baobab tree; no one person can embrace it.”
