The short answer
Baobab is the fruit of the African baobab tree, the iconic, ancient tree of the savannah, and its dry, tangy, citrusy fruit pulp is widely used, especially dried and ground into baobab powder. The fruit forms naturally as a powder inside its hard pods, and this pale, sherbet-like powder, with a sharp, refreshing, slightly sweet-sour taste, is mixed into drinks, juices, porridges and smoothies and eaten as a snack. Known by names such as kuka and ubuyu, baobab is a traditional African food now popular more widely as a natural, tangy ingredient. This is general food information rather than health advice. In the UK baobab powder is sold by African and health food shops.
What to remember
- Baobab powder is sold by African and health food shops in the UK.
- It is mixed into drinks, juices, porridges and smoothies, and eaten as a snack.
- The pale, sherbet-like powder has a sharp, refreshing, slightly sweet-sour flavour.
- The fruit forms naturally as a dry pulp inside its pods, ground into baobab powder.
- Baobab is the fruit of the iconic African baobab tree, tangy and citrusy in taste.
For many African families in Britain, baobab is a tangy taste of home. It is the sherbet-like kuka enjoyed as a snack, the refreshing baobab drink on a hot day, the fruit of the great tree that stands over the savannah, the sharp, fruity flavour of childhood. Reaching for baobab far from home brings back the iconic trees, market stalls and the simple pleasure of a tangy natural treat, the warmth of home in every refreshing, fruity sip or bite.
There is real heritage in it too, in a fruit from a tree so central to African life and landscape and treasured for generations. It reflects a whole relationship with the land and its natural gifts, and to enjoy baobab is to keep a little of that alive. Making a baobab drink for family who grew up on it or introducing a friend to their first tangy, sherbet-like taste is a small act of welcome. That refreshing, tangy taste of home is the quiet gift of baobab.
What is Baobab?
Baobab comes from the baobab tree, one of Africa's most iconic and beloved trees, ancient and massive and instantly recognisable with its huge trunk and branches that look like roots reaching for the sky, which is why it is sometimes called the upside-down tree. The tree is treasured across the African savannah for its many uses, and its fruit is a natural wonder: it grows in hard, pod-like shells, and inside, the fruit pulp dries naturally into chalky, sherbet-like chunks and powder around the seeds, so it comes almost ready as a powder straight from the pod.
This dried fruit pulp has a distinctive sharp, tangy, citrussy, slightly sweet-sour taste, refreshing and a little like a natural sherbet, and it is what people mean by 'baobab' as a food, most often sold as 'baobab powder'. Known by many names across Africa, including kuka in Hausa and ubuyu in Swahili, baobab is a long-standing traditional food that has become popular more widely as a natural, tangy ingredient. Baobab belongs to the world of African fruits and natural ingredients we cover in our guide to Nigerian food, a remarkable fruit from a remarkable tree.
How is the Baobab Used?
Baobab powder is wonderfully easy to use, thanks to its natural tang. Most popularly, it is stirred into drinks: mixed with water, sometimes with a little sugar, to make a refreshing, tangy baobab drink, blended into juices, smoothies and yoghurt drinks, or added to milk. In West Africa the leaves and fruit have long been used in cooking too, and the fruit powder is stirred into porridges and used to add a sharp, citrussy note and natural thickening. Children across Africa also simply enjoy the dried pulp as a sherbet-like snack straight from the pod.
Its sharp, fruity, sherbet-like flavour makes baobab a lovely natural souring and flavouring ingredient, a bit like a gentle citrus, and it blends easily because it is already a powder. It is popular in health food circles as a natural fruit powder to add to smoothies and drinks. This is general food information rather than dietary or health advice, and while baobab is often described as a superfruit, this article does not make health claims; anyone with specific dietary questions should speak to a qualified professional. However it is used, baobab adds a refreshing, tangy, natural fruitiness.
Baobab as a Traditional and Modern Food
Baobab has been part of African life for a very long time, treasured across the savannah where the tree grows, with the fruit, leaves and more all put to use, and the tangy fruit enjoyed as a food and drink for generations. It carries real cultural meaning as the fruit of such an iconic, long-living tree, and names like kuka and ubuyu reflect how woven into local food cultures it is. In recent years it has also found a new audience worldwide as a natural fruit powder.
For African communities, baobab is a nostalgic, traditional taste, and for others it is an interesting natural ingredient to discover. This article is general food and cultural information rather than health advice. What is clear is that baobab, the tangy, sherbet-like fruit of the great baobab tree, is a distinctive and much loved natural food, refreshing and versatile, with deep roots in African life and a growing place on shelves further afield.
Where can I Buy Baobab in UK?
Buying baobab in Britain is easy, as it is sold in a few places. African food shops stock baobab, often as baobab powder and sometimes as the dried fruit pulp or pods, because it is a familiar traditional food for the community and the base of the tangy drink. Health food shops and some supermarkets also sell baobab powder as a natural fruit powder for smoothies and drinks. It keeps well as a dry powder, so a pack lasts.
If you want to try baobab, an African food shop can point you to baobab powder or the fruit and advise on making the traditional drink, while a health food shop stocks it as a smoothie ingredient. You can find African food stores near you or look up Caribbean food stores near you, where baobab, or kuka, is a familiar item. Stirred into a drink, blended into a smoothie or enjoyed as a tangy snack, baobab brings a refreshing taste of the African savannah to your kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
What is baobab?
Baobab is the fruit of the African baobab tree, the iconic ancient tree of the savannah. Its dry, tangy, citrussy fruit pulp forms naturally as a chalky, sherbet-like powder inside hard pods, and this baobab powder, with a sharp, refreshing, slightly sweet-sour taste, is mixed into drinks, juices, porridges and smoothies and eaten as a snack. It is known by names such as 'kuka' and 'ubuyu'.
What does baobab taste like?
Baobab has a distinctive sharp, tangy, citrussy, slightly sweet-sour taste that is refreshing and a little like a natural sherbet. This fruity tang is why it is enjoyed straight from the pod as a snack and stirred into drinks and smoothies for a refreshing, citrus-like note. The dried fruit pulp is naturally powdery, which makes it easy to mix into liquids and food.
How do you use baobab powder?
Baobab powder is most popularly stirred into water, sometimes with a little sugar, to make a refreshing, tangy drink, or blended into juices, smoothies, yoghurt drinks and milk. It is also stirred into porridges to add a sharp, citrussy note and natural thickening. Because it is already a powder, it blends easily. This is general food information rather than health advice.
Is baobab a superfruit?
Baobab is often described as a superfruit and sold as a natural fruit powder, and it has long been a treasured traditional food in Africa. However, this article is general food information and does not make health claims. It is best enjoyed simply as a tangy, refreshing natural ingredient, and anyone with specific dietary or health questions should speak to a qualified professional.
Where can I buy baobab in the UK?
Baobab is sold by African food shops, often as baobab powder and sometimes as the dried fruit or pods, and by health food shops and some supermarkets as a natural fruit powder for smoothies. It keeps well as a dry powder. An African food shop can point you to baobab, or kuka, and advise on making the traditional tangy drink. African Stores lists African and Caribbean food shops across the UK, so you can find one near you.
