Liberia is a lush land that grows beautiful flowers and fruit . Right outside of our door is a mango tree, a cashew fruit tree, palm tree, and coconut tree. A block over is the college garden that grows such things as peanuts, pineapples, cassava trees, beans, potatoes, potato greens, cabbage, and they have just planted moringa seeds to grow trees.
Cashew Nuts
I was fascinated by the cashew tree at the back of our house. The Liberians eat the cashew fruit and seem to care little about roasting the shell to get the nut. Jacque, an Ivorian, told me that you cannot eat the cashew fruit and drink milk in the same day or it would kill you. I found that interesting so I did some research on the web. I did not find out that it would kill you, but I did find that both the cashew fruit and milk have a common substance that can cause an allergic reaction, including severe asthmatic attacks. I am wondering if this is what has happened to a few people thus the belief that eating the two in the same day will kill you.
The chemical found in the cashew fruit can irritate the skin, while the sap from the nutshell can cause skin irritations which are similar to second degree burns. When roasting the nuts fumes are emitted that can irritate the skin and even lead to blindess.
Potter Clay
When we went to the market, I asked one of my students what the gray chunks were and he told me it was potter clay. He said that women like to chew on it in Liberia. I asked him what nutritional value that it had and he said he did not know. I decided to do some research, b/c I thought this might be a case of pica, an eating disorder when an individual physically craves usually an earth substance. I was fascinated when I found out the following information.
There has been research by Haydel and Williams out of the Arizona State University finding that certain types of clay may be antimicrobial in nature. These clays can be used for wounds and indigestion. They also may help reduce bacterial growth and fight superbugs such as MRSA and may help with flesh eating infections.
The term for using clay as a healing property is called “pelotherapy.” Eating the correct type of clay might help prevent pica. It also may help in the healing of gum disease and in some West African communities have been used to prevent a mycobacterial disease known as Buruli ulcers, which is common in children and women. Isn’t it fascinating that cultures throughout generations have been able to find that such substances may be beneficial. One caution, it has to be the right type of clay or it could make you sick.
Bitter Ball
This is a bitter green fruit grown in Africa, called jilo, bitterball, or garden eggs. They are usually sautéed with other vegetables, broiled, or grilled.
Kittely
These are very small eggplant shaped fruits, which are often used in African stews.
I still have problems with all of the the meat/fish laying out all day at the market. Some of it is dried, but most of it is fresh (if that is the word you want to use, by the end of the day it does not look to fresh).
Below are seeds from the moringa tree. They have just planted some moringa trees at ABC, to be used for food and medicinal purposes. I wrote about the trees in an earlier blog when I was in Kenya.
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