The Role of Indigenous Fruit Trees in Sustainable Dryland Agriculture in Eastern Africa - Indigenous Fruit Trees in the Tropics: Domestication, Utilization and Commercialization - page 212

Sclerocarya birrea (marula)
This species plays a very significant role in the diet and culture of people in
many countries where it occurs. Both the pulp and kernel are nutritious (Table
11.3). The kernels yield highly stable oil that is useful in cooking and for
manufacturing cosmetics. The oil is currently being traded internationally from
the countries of Southern Africa. Local people consume the fruits and some are
sold at local and regional markets (Hall et al ., 2002; Mbabu and Wekesa, 2004;
Leakey, 2005). According to informants in the Dodoma district of Tanzania,
fruits are sold at local markets at Tshs 250 (US$0.20)/kg (Teklehaimanot,
2005). In South Africa the fruits are used to produce the very popular Amarula
liqueur, which is traded internationally, while a local beer/wine is culturally
important (Wynberg et al ., 2003). A type of butter is also extracted from the
kernels, which is used for the production of cosmetics by cosmetic industries in
Europe and the USA (Shackleton et al ., 2000; Hall et al ., 2002; Thiong'o et al .,
2002; Wynberg et al. , 2003).
Tamarindus indica (tamarind)
This tree is thought to have originated in Eastern Africa, from where it spread to
Asia and Central and South America. Thus, the tamarind has become an
economically important species not only in Africa but also in Asia and the
American continent. A tree produces in the range of 150-500 kg of fruit per tree
(ICUC, 1999) and the edible pulp is consumed fresh and used to make syrup,
juice concentrates and exotic food specialities such as chutneys, curries, pickles
and meat sauces. The pulp is sticky and light brownish-red in colour and is both
sweetish and acidic. The fruit pulp contains large amounts of vitamin C and
sugar (Table 11.3) and is a much-valued food ingredient in many Asian and
Latin American recipes. The seed is also a good source of protein and oil. The
two most common varieties are a sweet and a sour variety. The sweet tamarind
is produced mainly in Thailand, where it is grown on a commercial scale and is
exported in fresh and processed forms. Around 140,000 t of tamarind is
produced annually in Thailand. The pharmaceutical industry uses the pulp as
an ingredient in cardiac and blood sugar-reducing medicines (Beentje, 1994;
ICUC, 1999; Mbabu and Wekesa, 2004).
Vitellaria paradoxa (shea butter tree)
Both fruits and seeds of Vitellaria paradoxa are edible. The pulp is very tasty
and highly nutritious (Table 11.3). The fruit is consumed fresh and sold at local
markets. The primary benefit to the local people is derived from the oil present
in the kernels. There are two subspecies of V. paradoxa . subsp. paradoxa ,
which occurs in West Africa, produces a solid fat or butter while the Eastern
Africa subsp. nilotica produces a liquid oil that it is higher in olein and contains
most of the therapeutic substances found in shea butter. Nilotica shea butter is
softer and more fragrant than West African shea butter. The butter and oil are
primarily used as sources of cooking fat. Shea butter is used by chocolate and