Seeds & Nuts
Baobab seeds and pulp porridge
Baobab seeds and vine roots are staple foods for remotely living Hadza in Tanzania. This article already presented the collection and preparation of vine roots. In the following, we will discuss how to prepare Baobab seeds and their surrounding dry…
Rattan leaf stalks for coconut grating
Rattan leaf stalks have been, since immortal times, the tools with which Mentawai people have been grating coconuts. These long-lasting tools grate the coconuts into the required size of flakes. When worn out or broken, a new one will be…
Wild Karuka and another pandanus fruit species
The Pandanaceae botanical family comprises the following six species in Papua New Guinea: ‘Karuka’ and ‘Marita’ were already discussed on this website in two former articles. ‘Karuka’, see here, and ‘Marita’ see there. In the following, ‘Wild Karuka’ and Pandanus…
Karuka – cultivated pandanus fruits and nuts
Tok Pisin: Karuka Scientific name: Pandanus jiulianettii Two species of pandanus are commonly used for the nuts that are eaten. They are Karuka (Pandanus jiulianettii Martelli) and wild Karuka (Pandanus brosimos Merr & Perry). At least 3 other species of…
Swiss pine cones and their uses
The Swiss pine (Pinus cembra) goes by different names in German-speaking countries, such as ‘Zirbe,’ ‘Arve,’ ‘Arolla pine,’ or ‘Austrian stone pine.’ For generations, people have used the nuts of this particular pine species as food during the winter months,…
Use of Tsamma melons in Namibia
Tsamma melons are the original progenitors of watermelons. Historical records indicate that these melons were already under cultivation in the Nile Valley as far back as 2000 BC. In contemporary times, Tsamma melons continue to be utilized for their oil…
Nara melons: Bread of the Namib desert
Nara melons were, in former times, the only food Topnaar people had available for four months (Jan – April) a year. They used conserved fruit pulp and seeds to supplement other food sources for the rest of the year. They…
Manketti (or: Mongongo) nuts
Manketti nuts are a staple food for a variety of people within its distribution range. And there is a strict division of naming them. Khoi-san people (Bushmen) call them ‘Manketti’, whereas Kavango people (Bantus) call them ‘Mongongo’. Both names denominate…
Cashew apples and -nuts in Goa, India
Cashew trees (Anacardium occidentale) are native to areas around Northeastern Brazil. Portuguese colonists brought them around 1560 to Goa, India, from where they spread to Southeast Asia and Africa. Therefore, cashew products already have a long history in Goa and…
Natal Mahogany seed milk and its preparation
Natal Mahogany (Trichilia emetica) trees have got a dense canopy of dark green, glossy leaves, and a round outer shape of the tree silhouette. They preferably grow in moist places and riparian forests along drainage lines. Natal Mahogany is easy…