When it comes to spicing up your meals and boosting your health, the marula fruit is the perfect dance partner. Its tangy-sweet flavour adds a zesty twist to your cooking and its antioxidant-rich vitamin C helps keep your body in top shape. So, put on your dancing shoes and get ready for a fiesta of flavour and health!
The marula tree is a true African gem. Elephants love the fruit but it is good for humans too!
Marula, often overlooked, holds remarkable health benefits, says Kulani Mtileni, the founder of Dietitians24 in Polokwane, Limpopo. The fruit’s skin, teeming with twenty-nine yeasts, gives it unique alcoholic properties.
“Marula aids in collagen production, fights ageing, and boosts nutrient absorption and sperm production.”
Kulani Mtileni
A versatile fruit for many dishes
Mtileni adds that marula is used in small-scale chutneys and pie fillings, while its skin can be boiled for drinking or burned as a coffee substitute. The stem and bark, rich in antihistamines, offer a natural steam inhalation remedy for cleansing purposes.
You can enjoy marula fruit fresh, add it to salads, or use it as a topping for yoghurt or oatmeal, explains Anele Jili, a sous chef from Dundee Battlefields in KwaZulu-Natal.
Jili says marula works well in baked goods and can be a great substitute for fruits like berries or apricots in cakes, muffins, or tarts.
“Cook down marula fruit with a little sugar and water to create a sweet and tangy sauce perfect for ice cream, pancakes, or waffles.”
Anele Jili
According to Jili, the fruit’s sweet and slightly sour taste pairs well with grilled meats, stews, or braises. “Combine marula fruit with onions, ginger, and spices to create a flavourful condiment.”
Jili suggests that marula fruit is a good match for cheese, especially with creamy options like brie or goat cheese. She also recommends using marula to elevate the flavours of puddings, custards, and crisps.
She notes that marula also fits seamlessly into many beverages, making a delicious and refreshing juice, smoothie, or cocktail ingredient.
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Marula seeds and leaves
Mtileni highlights the diverse benefits of marula seeds, which are rich in essential minerals and vitamins such as iron, magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, nicotinic acid, and thiamine.
These seeds can be enjoyed fresh, dried, or milled, and are often added to vegetables, meats, and soups for added flavour.
“Marula seeds contain oil that is a valuable source of protein known for its anti-ageing properties that help combat stretch marks,” says Mtileni.
He also notes that fresh seeds can be incorporated into porridge and boiled meat to enhance their taste.
Marula also has uses beyond its nutritional value. Mtileni says marula leaves are used in compost and as animal feed, along with the stems and branches. The leaves also serve as hosts for two parasitic mistletoes, Erianthemum dregei and Pedistylis galpinii.
Marula oil has a high mono-unsaturated oleic acid content, which makes it a suitable substitute for sunflower oil in biodiesel production. Mtileni points out that in Limpopo, the VhaVenda community uses marula oil to preserve meat and meat products.
“This oil is highly stable against lipid oxidation, ensuring effective preservation of meat. However, it has lower B-tocopherol levels, which results in less vitamin E compared to other nut oils,” he adds.
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Marula-and-ginger marmalade by chef Anele Jili
Ingredients
- 1 cup marula fruit
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture thickens.
- Strain and let cool.
