It’s no longer a mystery that elephants in Africa have a preferred fruit, and everyone knows what it is.
Yes, the marula fruit is loved by both people and animals, and in this lesson, you’ll learn why that’s the case.
The marula fruit, which comes from the marula tree and is endemic to South Africa, has made its way into some of the country’s most deeply rooted cultural traditions.
Even now, many still believe that eating the fruit makes elephants act in an inebriated manner.
How accurate is this rumor, and what does the flavor of marula fruit have to do with the fact that it plays such an important role in their culture?
Because we are going to answer these questions for you, by the time you finish reading this post, you won’t have any questions like these left.
Contents
What is Marula Fruit?
Marula, also known as Sclerocarya birrea, is a native shrub to Southern Africa that produces a fruit that is about the same size as a plum.
It is often known to as the Marula fruit and may grow at any time of the year.
This fruit may range in color from yellow to green, and it contains a nut that is rather tough.
They may be eaten fresh or fermented, and both humans and animals like them, with elephants being the most common consumers.
Because of its link with elephants, some people sometimes refer to this tree as the “elephant tree.”
The majority of the local animals, including elephants, kudus, impalas, baboons, and nyalas, devour the fruit. Elephants are the exception to this rule.
However, the belief that elephants may get intoxicated is completely untrue.
If you ever believed that it was real, you must have been affected by Jamie Uys’s documentary, in which he fed the elephants alcoholic marula fruits to make them intoxicated. If you ever thought that it was true, you must have been inspired by Jamie Uys’s documentary.
Within the context of African culture, the marula tree is endowed with a great deal of value.
They have a history of being social and ceremonial hubs where people congregate and spend time together.
In addition, the fruits serve as the medium via which they are linked to one another.
What Does Marula Fruit Taste Like?
The level of ripeness of a marula fruit determines the range of tastes that may be extracted from that fruit.
The unripe ones are green in color and have a sour flavor, whilst the fully ripe ones are yellow in color and have a sweet and nutty flavor with sour overtones.
It is possible to come across a marula fruit at any time of the year; however, as they only get ripe between the months of December and March, it is important to time your purchase appropriately.
So, can marula fruit make you drunk? Both yes and no.
Consuming them while they are still fresh won’t do you any damage; the only way to become drunk from them is to ferment them into an alcoholic beverage.
However, the easiest technique to determine whether or not the fruit will have a sweet flavor is to consume just those pieces of fruit that have fallen to the ground.
They are at the ideal point of ripeness and need to be harvested immediately before they go bad.
Vitamins, notably vitamin C, are going to make up a large portion of the nutrients that are going to be delivered to you.
Additionally, it is loaded with anti-oxidants, oleic acid, proteins, and lipids of various kinds.
Therefore, eating this fruit will improve the health of your bones and heart, bring your hormones back into balance, and speed up the healing process.
In addition to this, the marula fruit works wonders for the health of your skin and hair, and it may even reverse the effects of age.
Now, when you compare this fruit to other indigenous African fruits like kola nuts and baobabs, you will discover that there are numerous reasons to select this particular fruit above the others.
The marula fruit is considerably simpler to consume and provides sufficient amounts of citrus energy to maintain a healthy heart, which is particularly important in a continent as hot as Africa.
How To Cook and Use Marula Fruit?
Consuming the fruit and using it in topical treatments both result in several beneficial uses for the fruit.
In addition to being a delicious fruit to eat, they may be used in a variety of interesting ways, some of which are detailed below:
- Marula beer: Beer, which is the result of the fermentation of the juice of the marula fruit, is likely one of the things that everyone is looking forward to the most.
Because of the fruit’s high sugar content, the fermentation process only takes a few days to complete.
In order to produce the brew, just combine the pulp of marula fruits with water and let the mixture sit undisturbed for up to three days.
- Marula oil: One of the most adaptable use of marula fruit is the production of marula oil. It may be consumed as an oil and also used topically as a cosmetic on the skin and hair. As a conditioner or a mask for the hair, you may apply it as desired.
- Amarula cream: A cream liqueur with a flavor similar to caramel may be made by combining sugar, cream, and marula fruit. It is finest served over ice, and its silky texture will beautify your banquets and please your guests.
Those who are sensitive to nuts may have an allergic response to marula fruit, despite the fact that very few individuals report having this problem.
In addition, if you have a delicate digestive system, you may find that consuming marula oil causes your stomach to get irritated, which is another cause for concern.
FAQs
Is Marula fruit sweet?
When fully mature, marula fruits have an acidic flavor that is balanced by a delightful sweetness. There is a giant nut stone in the middle of each fruit, and within that stone is a kernel of a nut that is similar to a macadamia. The antioxidant content of the very nutritious kernels, which may be consumed both raw and roasted, is quite high.
What alcohol is made from the Marula fruit?
Amarula is a cream liqueur created from Marula fruit in South Africa. The Marula tree, scientifically known as Sclerocarya birrea, is native to the subequatorial plains of Africa and serves as the primary ingredient of Amarula Cream as well as the once popular Amarula Gold.
Can you eat Marula fruit?
The Marula fruit has a texture similar to that of a tiny plum and is very perfumed. It is also quite juicy. Freshly prepared, it has a very high vitamin C content in its flesh and may be consumed in that form. In the cooking process, it may also be turned into jam, juice, and even alcoholic drinks.
How do you eat Amarula fruit?
The vast majority of customers eat the fruit in its uncooked state, either blended in juice or cooked in jams and jellies. It is also widely recognized as a component in the well-known cream liqueur Amarula (although if most of the fruit’s characteristics take a backseat to the drink’s creamy, butterscotch-flavored base). Amarula was first created in South Africa.
Is Amarula fruit healthy?
Marula fruits are enjoyed not just by people but also by elephants, giraffes, kudus, and warthogs due to their high vitamin C content, which helps prevent scurvy and also provides protection against potassium, calcium, and magnesium deficiencies. The kernels may be used to extract a high-quality virgin marula oil that is loaded with antioxidants and oleic acid.
How do you drink Amarula fruit cream?
Serve Amarula Cream straight up over ice, since this is the traditional manner in which it is served. However, you can also make a delicious after-dinner cocktail by combining it with brandy and more cream. This is the kind of drink that would be appropriate to serve after a Thanksgiving feast.
Final Thought
We are convinced that you now have a solid understanding of the marula fruit despite the fact that at the beginning of our conversation you had no idea what the marula fruit was or what role it plays in the world.
They are not simply any fruit that is sold in the market; rather, they are the defining characteristic of a culture. Both humans and animals eat this fruit in order to provide themselves with the necessary nutrients.
By eating this native fruit, you will improve not only your outward look (such as your skin and hair), but also the function of all of your internal organs.
And what’s even great about them is that they can be used in a wide variety of ways, and when you go to the country where the fruit is native, you’ll never stop finding new applications for it.
