The mongongo tree, found in South Africa, produces a valuable nut known as manketti or mongongo fruit. The nuts are rich in protein, vitamin E, and calcium and are used in African communities as a major component of a balanced diet. Manketti oil is also used for skin, hair, and nails.
A mongongo is a type of tall, spreading tree found in South Africa. In addition to producing a light, strong and highly useful wood, the mongongo tree also produces a distinctive fruit that produces a nutritionally valuable nut. These nuts are known as manketti nuts or mongongo fruits and are used as a major component of a balanced diet in some African communities. Products made with Manketti nuts such as Manketti oil are also distributed worldwide.
Known by its scientific name Schinziophyton rautanenii, the mongongo tree prefers the slightly sandy, arid soil associated with the Kalahari, a large desert in Africa. The trees produce distinctive leaves that are shaped like hands, along with delicate sprays of yellow flowers. Starting in March, the manketti nuts begin to ripen on the tree and the tree slowly sheds its leaves as the weather in the Southern Hemisphere turns into autumn and winter.
Mongongo fruits are roughly egg-shaped and are covered in a soft, velvety skin. The husk can be removed to expose an edible red pulp which is used in preserves and porridge, leaving a thick shell behind. To access the edible nuts inside, people crack the shells or process them to force them to crack. Once removed, the nuts can be eaten by hand, roasted, squeezed for oil, or used in an assortment of dishes. Some people prefer to let the elephants do the work; manketti nuts pass whole through an elephant’s digestive tract, allowing people to harvest them from elephant dung. The dung and hard shells can also be burned as fuel.
Manketti nuts store very well, making them very popular in regions of South Africa with less than ideal food storage conditions. They are also rich in protein, vitamin E and calcium. Manketti oil is excellent for the skin, causing many people to use it as a moisturizing and conditioning oil, and it is also beneficial for hair and nails. When consumed as part of a balanced diet, mangogo fruit can be an important source of nutrition.
Outside of Africa, manketti nuts can be difficult to obtain, although their oil can be found in specialty stores and shops that stock body oils and soaps. Like other nuts, manketti nuts should ideally be stored in a cool, dry place so their oils don’t go rancid, and they can be used in a variety of foods. If a whole mangogo fruit is available, the edible pulp is definitely worth trying.
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