What Is Baobab? Health Benefits And Recipes To Try
Since 2016, Kenyan born celebrity chef and restaurateur Kiran Jethwa has co-presented Food Unwrapped His new show, Extreme Food sees him travelling to the most remote and spectacular corners of the planet to discover the world's finest ingredients. Here, he discusses his latest superfood find: baobab.
Channel 4What Is It?
Having grown up in East Africa, the baobab without question is one of my favourite trees. It grows wild in 32 African countries and its mighty silhouette is one of the continents' greatest icons. It really is an impressive tree: with a height of up to 25 metres, the branches can form a roof of more than 20 metres in diameter and the tree itself can be several thousand years old!
What is also amazing is that the baobab is a prehistoric species which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago. Its ability to provide shelter, food and water for animals and humans has earned it the label “Tree of Life.
While many people know of the baobab tree, not many people know that it has a fruit. The fruit hangs off the tree and looks like a kind of melon or a pod. The outside of which is a brown shell. When you cut into it you will find sinewy flesh-coloured fibre surrounding its oil rich seeds. The fruit is the only one in the world to dry naturally on the branch. This means the fruit simply needs to be harvested, deseeded, pounded and sieved to produce a 100% natural superfood powder that is exceptionally nutrient-dense – and super tasty!
What Makes It A Superfood?
In Africa, the fruit has been harvested for centuries by the local tribes for its medicinal qualities. Used particularly to treat fevers, malaria, gastric problems, and vitamin C deficiency, it contains six times as much vitamin C as oranges, twice as much calcium as milk, and is stuffed full of B vitamins, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, and antioxidants.
Why Is It Good For You?
Energy Boost: I have a constant supply of baobab powder with me at the gym because if you add a couple of spoonfuls to a bottle of water, or to your rehydration drink, it is claimed to replenish your body’s electrolytes and stores of potassium, magnesium and calcium – and it tastes pretty good too. It really gives you a fantastic energy boost after an intense workout. It has a fresh tangy sherbet like flavour, kind of like a mixture between pear and grapefruit. It’s the perfect substitute for synthetic sports drinks.
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Digestion: As the baobab is 50% fibre – half soluble fibre (dissolves in water) and half insoluble fibre (does not dissolve), each serves a purpose. Soluble fibre can help reduce blood cholesterol and helps slow down the release of sugar into the blood stream, reducing energy spikes and crashes, while insoluble fibre passes right through you, so it is good for the digestive system and helping with constipation.
Research has shown that baobab contains higher levels of dietary fibre than other fruits including apples, peaches, apricots and bananas. Pectin is the main source of fibre in baobab, and has been reported to have a role in reduction of total and LDL cholesterol, and enhances the prebiotic bacteria in the large intestine.
Oxidation: Baobab has the highest antioxidant content of any fruit; more than double the antioxidants of pomegranates and cranberries, and more than three times more than blueberries. We need to eat foods with antioxidants to combat the free radicals that are responsible for oxidation in our body. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can have profound health benefits since we are reducing oxidation which is basically rust and decay in the body.
Baobab is also a significant source of Iron, Potassium and Magnesium, which are all important alkalising minerals to promote correct body pH. As it is a natural source of these nutrients, it is more bioavailable than manufactured vitamin supplements, meaning our bodies can absorb the nutrients more easily, ensuring a greater uptake.
Where To Get It
How To Use It
As a relatively new supplement to the world I have only just started experimenting with it as an ingredient. The obvious uses are to sprinkle it into porridges and smoothies and to use it in various baked products like muffins, pancakes, cereal bars etc. However one quality that I really like about it is the tangy flavour it displays. I think this works wonderfully with fish. So here is a simple, healthy recipe where you can use it as a main course:
Baobab & Roasted Garlic Marinated Tilapia over Wilted Pok Choy
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 large tilapia fillets
2 large heads of garlic
juice of 2 large lemons
200ml olive oil
1 tbsp baobab powder
2tsp toasted coriander seeds
1 bunch fresh coriander
1 small green chili
100ml sesame oil
1tsp sesame seeds
1 small bulb fresh ginger
4 heads pok choi
seasoning to taste
Method
1. Turn on your oven to 200C. Throw in both heads of garlic with the skin on and roast for 20mins. Remove and allow them to cool
2. Take all the roasted garlic out of its skin and place in a pestle & mortar.
3. To this add the coriander seeds and pound into a smooth paste.
4. Now transfer this into a blender.
5. Add the lemon juice, fresh coriander, and chili and baobab powder and begin to blend. Slowly add olive oil till it loosens and you achieve a thick marinade mixture.
6. Cover your tilapia fillets with the marinade in a bowl and set in the fridge for 1/2 an hour.
7. Remove the fish from the marinade. You will have some marinade left behind. Save this for your pok choi.
8. Place the fish under a hot grill and cook till slightly browned but still moist in the middle. Season to taste.
9. Meanwhile prepare your pok choi. Peel and grate the ginger - 2 tbsp. will be enough.
10. Add the sesame oil to a wok and heat. Add the sesame seeds and ginger and fry till they begin to toast.
11. Now add/deglaze with the remainder of the marinade from the fish.
12. Reduce and then add the pok choi till it wilts. Season to taste.
13. Place on pok choi on a plate and Serve the grilled fish over the pok choi.
You’re done. Delicious, light, healthy and packed full of goodness!
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