Around the World in 40 Fruits – Volume 35 – By Dr. Marli Botha – Article 35 of 40
By Dr. Marli Botha
The safou fruit (Dacryodes edulis), known as African plum or African pear, is a highly nutritious, oleaginous fruit in Cameroon, eaten boiled or roasted, rich in lipids, vitamins, and minerals, and plays a significant role in local economies and nutrition, harvested seasonally from June to December.
Known as Safou, or African plum, this rich, oily fruit transforms into a soft, buttery delicacy when cooked. Nutritious, versatile, and deeply woven into daily life, Safou stands as one of Cameroon’s 🇨🇲 most important seasonal harvests:
- The tree adapts well and provides food, timber, and environmental benefits. It is an evergreen tree of 18–40 meters in the forest with a relatively short trunk and a deep, dense crown. The bark is pale gray and rough with droplets of resin.
- The fruit is an ellipsoidal drupe which varies in length from 4 to 12 cm. The skin of the fruit is dark blue or violet, whereas the flesh is pale to light green.
- The safou fruit, which can be eaten either raw, cooked in salt water or roasted. Cooked flesh of the fruit has a texture similar to butter and is often eaten on bread similar to avocado.
- It has long been used in the traditional medicine of some African countries to treat various ailments such as wounds and skin diseases.
- The resin is sometimes burnt as a lighter or used as a glue.
