iStockphotoMove over, goji berries, there’s a new superfruit moving in! It contains more antioxidants than acai or blueberries, more calcium than milk, more fibre than apples, more vitamin C than oranges and more iron than spinach. And you probably haven’t heard of it.
The tangy exotic baobab fruit, often described as “a cross between grapefruit, pear and vanilla,” is coming to the United States and Canada.
An ingredient previously only enjoyed in Africa, locals would eat the so-called “Vitamin Tree” fruit fresh or crush and stir the crumbly pulp into drinks or porridge. Here, we’ll get it as a naturally dehydrated powder.
“The powdery white interior of the baobab fruit can be used as an ingredient in many foods — as a thickener in jams and gravies, a sweetener for fruit drinks, or a tangy flavour addition to hot sauces,” reports National Geographic.
Will it catch on as the next acai? Experts seem to think so, estimating the international market could rake in $1 billion a year.
“Baobab is moving from cottage industry into the mainstream,” says Malcolm Riley, of the Yozuna jam company in England. He now counts a large chain of British food stores among his customers. “It’s got mass potential.”
If you’re looking to be among the first to embrace this superfruit, you can buy the powder online at retailers like Baobab Foods – 170g will cost you $20 US.
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