Bungo
Saba comorensis · Apocynaceae family
A forest vine’s orange fruit becomes a sour drink.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Bungo is an orange-yellow fruit from an African forest vine, with sweet-sour pulp wrapped around many seeds. The pulp makes a tart drink when mixed with water and sugar. Above the forest floor, its woody vine climbs other trees, reaching up to 20 m (66 ft).
What it is
Saba comorensis has a rounded, pitted fruit about 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long and 3.5–6 cm (1.4–2.4 in) across. Its green skin turns orange-yellow as it ripens.
The fruit is cut in half or pressed open to reveal sweet-sour pulp, with a taste like tamarind, around numerous brown-black seeds. Each seed carries a coating of flesh, so preparing a drink starts with separating this coating from the seeds.
Where it comes from
Bungo is native across several African countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda, and to the Comoros Islands. It grows in coastal forests and around Africa’s Great Lakes.
In Tanzania, bungo has a place in the food traditions of Morogoro and the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar. In eastern Uganda’s Busia District, the fruit is sold along the roadsides.
How it's eaten where it grows
In Tanzania, bungo pulp becomes a drink: the seeds are removed and the pulp is blended with water and sugar. The fruit supplies the sourness and the sugar adds sweetness.
The ripe fruit can also be cut in half or pressed open and its flesh eaten straight from the many pulp-coated seeds.
How it's grown
Bungo climbs through other trees in undisturbed forest and is rare in open ground. It also grows along riverbanks and can form a living fence. A cut main stem can send up new growth.
Its flowers have white petals, yellow throats and a fragrance. The stem releases sticky white latex when cut. The latex has been used as a low-grade rubber, and in English the plant is called rubber vine.
When and where you'll find it
In Tanzania, the fruit usually matures from December to May. Harvesters collect it once it turns yellow; ripe fruit stays attached to the vine. The fruit does not rot easily after collection.
Bungo reaches local markets as whole fruit and is also made into juice. In Busia, eastern Uganda, roadside sales offer another way to encounter it; ripe fruit has been picked there in November.
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What it tastes like
No sweeter than a grapefruit, tarter than a kiwifruit≈
More about the taste
Yellow pulp surrounds numerous seeds, and a refreshing sour drink is made from the fruit.
Yellow pulp surrounds numerous seeds, and a refreshing sour drink is made from the fruit.
Choose, store, eat
1ChooseTurned yellow
Look for
- Turned yellow
Fruit ripens from green to orange-yellow and is collected once it turns yellow.
2StoreThe fruit resists rotting relatively well
The fruit resists rotting relatively well.
3EatFruit pulp
Eat
Fruit pulpThe edible part is the fruit pulp.
Detroit, Michigan
When it’s good hereUsual monthsJust arrivedAt their bestLast chanceAll yearWhere it is in its usual monthsToday, Oct 22Grown hereIn season in your stateShips fromIn season where it grows
5 names in 4 languages
- 橙香藤Chinese
- سابا كومورينسيسArabic
Cook it
Strange but trueNatureWhere the name came fromCustoms and culture
If you like Bungo
Tastes alike
Close relatives
Same plant family
Sources
Sources
Bungo · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026