Adonsonia digita
Baobabs are silly-looking trees. They have thick, straight, smooth trunks, and spindly branches, making the baobab resemble Bart Simpson. They tend to be solitary and grow apart from other trees.
The leaves are eaten fresh or dried as a green vegetable, and can be powdered when dried and made into a soup called kuka. The fruit is reputed to be high in vitamin C and calcium and is known as "monkey bread". The fruits can be juiced, and the pulp – once separated from the seeds – can be eaten directly or mixed into porridge or milk. In parts of Africa, the dried fruit pulp is made into a candy, and baobabs were once used to make tartar sauce.
Baobab are trees native to Africa and Australia. Because these large trees do not produce growth rings, it is difficult to determine the age of baobab trees; many are reputed to be thousands of years old. In some regions of Africa it is believed that because they are possessed by the devil, the bodies of poets or musicians will pollute the earth if buried. It is the custom to inter their bodies inside of baobab trees.
