Ever heard of Baobab Powder? Neither had we – this somewhat hilariously shaped Baobab tree produces some of Africa’s most nutritious and tasty fruits. A new phenomenon to us Superfood loving westerners; yet these trees are reportedly living up to 500 years old and have been a staple part of many Africans diets for millennia. Like the Ginkgo tree, the Baobab tree is named as one of the oldest trees on earth. The Baobab tree, in its towering glory, produces pods which resemble coconuts with a hard exterior – inside are the pale and chalk-like fruit chunks. The Baobab fruits are dried at a low temperature and then milled into a fine, pale powder, like our Baobab Powder at Indigo Herbs.
Baobab Powder, the best Superfood to come to market yet?
Now I often sit through laborious reports of new Superfood crazes and every single one of them claim ‘this powder tastes amazing’ ‘this powder is really yummy’, when often in reality they taste like bitter gravel with a hint of wood chippings. To my amazement whilst I was sampling Baobab powder (3 generous teaspoons with around 400ml of water) it actually tasted amazing! It’s sweet and tangy taste is thanks to its high levels of citric, malic and tartaric acids. Baobab Powder tastes too sweet and moreish to be good for you; it would be an absolute treat in your Superfood/ health smoothie – I know this is headed straight for my otherwise dubious tasting Superfood smoothie… I can honestly see why Baobab Powder is such a hit in the Superfood market; it’s absolutely delicious. Usually when something tastes this good I always expect some unhealthy and guilty dark side to be unearthed – however Baobab Powder has got a clean bill of health from where I’m sitting, as previously mentioned the sweet and tangy taste is thanks to its acidic constituents, which don’t ring any health alarm bells. Baobab Powder reportedly contains six times as much vitamin C as oranges (yes SIX that wasn’t a typo), twice the calcium content of milk, a higher iron content than beef, a higher potassium content than bananas and is 50% fibre by weight.
A Recent Discovery?
Now like me you’re probably thinking, why has this only hit the market? It’s flawless and many herbal enthusiasts are now raving about it like it’s the next Acai. I think this could be due to the fact that the Baobab trees grow in extremely lower economically developed parts of Africa like Zimbabwe and they don’t exactly have the resources or money to break into such a fierce market such as the western Superfood market. This secret African gem has been pushed into market by Phyto Trade Africa (http://phytotrade.com/) a not for profit organisation which is pushing the supply chain management and growth of the export industry in various parts of Africa.
The Baobab fruit is an environmentally sustainable Superfood, which also benefits the growers and pickers, whilst also being a super-nutritious fruit which can benefit our health massively and taste nice at the same time. Baobab Powder, the best Superfood to come to market yet?
I’m Milo Mansell; I’m a young, audacious Superfood skeptic and e-commerce enthusiast, currently doing a degree in e-commerce and computing. I live in Glastonbury, UK and work for Indigo Herbs LTD, an online Superfood company with 6 years of market presence and over 500 own brand products. I enjoy writing and I have strong opinions about market trends of Superfoods and super nutrition in general, so it only seemed appropriate to write some articles and share them with like-minded people.
Click here for more information on Baobab Powder.
By Milo Mansell
