African Food and Art

This blog explores the wisdom of African proverbs, the depth of folklore, the beauty of art, the stories of history, and the flavors of timeless African food recipes.

Simple Mabuyu Baobab Seed Juice Recipe

Mabuyu Baobab Juice

Learn how to make simple Mabuyu Baobab Juice

Mabuyu Baobab (bay-oh-bab) Juice is popular in sub-Saharan African countries especially in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Mabuyu Baobab Juice
Mabuyu Baobab Juice


Prep time: 5 min 
Chill time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2 servings
Serving size: 8 ounces
Calories per serving: 15 calories
Fat per serving: 0 g

Mabuyu Baobab Juice

Ingredients

Dried baobab fruit powder:
2 tablespoons
Sparkling water: 2 cups
Sugar: to taste
Add an additional fruit juice: optional

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a large jar and mix well.
2. Add ice and serve.
3. The taste of dried baobab pulp is rather mild.

A brief look at the Baobab tree

Baobab the Tree God planted upside-down. Common names for the baobab tree are cream of tartar tree, monkey-bread tree, tabaldi, and mowana. The gigantic trunk of the baobab tree leads upwards to branches resembling the roots of a tree, which is why it has often been referred to as the upside-down tree.

The baobab is also known as the tree of life. It is also legendary for its gigantic size growing to more than 70 feet high and 35 feet in diameter, its canopy spreading to 235 feet. The Baobab tree is a strange looking tree that grows in low-lying areas in Africa and Australia. It can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old.

One ancient hollow Baobab tree in Zimbabwe is so large that up to 40 people can shelter inside its trunk. Various Baobabs have been used as a shop, a prison, a house, a storage barn and a bus shelter. The tree is certainly very different from any other. The trunk is smooth and shiny, not at all like the bark of other trees, and it is pinkish grey or sometimes copper colored.

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