White raisin

What it is

The fruit often looks like two tiny balls joined together. Each lobe is commonly 0.4–0.7 cm (0.2–0.3 in) long, with a hard, woody stone inside. The pulp is the part to eat; the seeds are discarded.

White raisin belongs to the mallow family. Its fresh fruit is sweet and mealy, with the mouth-drying sensation called astringency. Dried pulp is eaten as a sweet.

Where it comes from

White raisin grows across the drier parts of tropical Africa, from Senegal east to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and south to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Its range also reaches Yemen, Saudi Arabia and India.

In Tanzania it grows from the coast to the highlands, including Tabora, Iringa, Shinyanga, Dodoma and Morogoro. Swahili names include mkole and mfukufuku.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Tanzania, ripe fruit is picked from the tree for a raw snack. People eat the pulp and discard the seeds. For a drink, the fruit is lightly pounded in a grain mortar, soaked in water and squeezed.

The filtered juice is drunk fresh or stirred into porridge. It can also be fermented into an alcoholic drink. Dried, the pulp is also eaten as a sweet.

How it's grown

White raisin grows as a shrub or small tree, 2–10 m (7–33 ft) tall, often sending up several stems from its base. It tolerates drought and grows in dry woodland, thickets and wooded grassland.

Growth is slow. Where there is a marked dry season, leaves fall in the dry months and sweet-smelling yellow flowers appear during the rains. New plants grow from seeds, cuttings or shoots arising from the roots.

When and where you'll find it

In Tanzania, ripe white raisins are usually gathered from April to June. This is chiefly a wild-gathered fruit, eaten locally as fresh pulp or made into juice. Elsewhere in its range, the fruit is sometimes sun-dried and kept for the dry season; dried, it looks like a raisin.