Food from trees

Zimbabwe has an abundance of wild fruits, many of which are rich in Vitamins A and C and other essential Masau fruit minerals. Because they grow wild, they have not been sprayed with dangerous chemicals. These fruits are extremely important to both rural and urban communities because of their nutritional values, income generating potential and traditional medicinal uses. The masau and mazhanje fruits are also a favourite of wild animals. Elephant are particularly fond of the fruit and leaves of the masau and they spend significant time in the masau groves during the fruiting season. Antelopes and elephants eat the ripe mazhanje fruits fallen and fermenting on the ground, and are said to become drunk on them. Ziziphus mauritiana, commonly known as masau in Zimbabwe, originates from India, and came to Africa via Arab traders plying the costal routes of neighbouring Mozambique centuries ago. The fruits are 1 - 3 cm in diameter and are yellowish to deep mahogany brown in colour when ripe. Whilst the masau is eaten fresh, it can also be dried for use throughout the year or made into bread. The fruit is also used as the base for distilling a local alcoholic beverage kachasu (Poisonous if taken in excess) Ziziphus mauritiana is high in Vitamin C and betacarotene. Traditional Uses Treats Colds and flue (Fruit) Malnutrition diseases related in children (Fruit) Convulsions in Children (Roots) Indigestion (Roots) Harvesting Seasons June - September

Mazhanje fruit

Uapaca kirkiana, commonly known as Mazhanje, Mahobohobo or Wild Loquat grows throughout Zimbabwe at medium altitudes in good rainfall areas free of frost. The fruit is a fleshy round berry, up to 4cm across with a tough reddish brown skin surrounding juicy yellow-brown pulp, in which several hard white ridged seeds are embedded. The skin contains bitter tasting tannins which necessitates time-consuming and expensive hand pulp extraction. The fruits are amongst the most popular in Zimbabwe - women and children go out with large baskets for the harvesting and sell them on the side of main roads. The fruits are collected into prepared holes and covered with leaves to hide the spot, but are inspected daily and turned when necessary, until they are ready to be eaten. The pulp is honey sweet with a slight flavour of oranges. It is eaten fresh with the tough skin and seed being discarded. A fried or baked cake is sometimes made from the pulp, with fine maize meal and an egg added. The ripe fruit pulp, broken up and stood in water, is sometimes left to ferment, making a sweet wine. Harvesting Seasons Mazhanje - November - December Traditional Uses -Treats Indigestion (Roots)