In our Zambian tasting menu, our moveable feast through Zambia in several courses, you’ll taste an ingredient that’s rather special. You might not know it at the time, but we’ll tell you. Of course. And then it will be hard to miss.
It’s moringa and you’ll find it in our homemade moringa ice-cream, served with a berry jelly, seasonal fruit and classic meringue shards infused with lemon zest.
The word “Moringa” has spread around the world, finding its way into conversations, articles, health food stores, etc – on account of its numerous nutritional and healing properties have been discovered and lauded and put to use. For centuries, the Moringa tree (Moringa oleifera) has been used for these reasons in both Asia and Africa, where it is indigenous. But around the world, its popularity is a little new to the scene, with people now calling it “the miracle tree” and “the tree of life”.
Above: Moringa oleifera by Hari Prasad Nadig
This comes after research revealed that gram for gram, moringa provides the human body with seven times more vitamin C than oranges, four times the vitamin A of carrots, four times more calcium than milk, three times more potassium than bananas, and twice the protein of yoghurt. Often called the drumstick tree, the miracle tree, the ben oil tree, or the horseradish tree, it is also rich in iron and is said to have immune-boosting, antifungal, antiviral, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence its title as a superfood.
The tree grows naturally in the country, providing several edible components – “the leaves and pods can be consumed fresh, or dried and powdered to lock in the health benefits and concentrate the beneficial nutrients.” (Source)
The growing international demand for the powder extracted from the plant’s ground leaves has meant an economic boost for countries like Zambia, as well as a greater focus on the natural world for better health, on realising just how much is available from Mother Nature, for our own longevity, as opposed to labs.
Moringa has made its way into nutritional supplements, snack food, beverages and personal care items, but it is also a source of affordable quality fodder for farmers in the small-scale commercial beef and dairy sectors. It creates great potential for countries like Zambia where rates of unemployment are high. It is a way to literally grow money on trees. (Read more)
It’s for these reasons that the superfood has made it into our Zambian Tasting Menu – along with the other locally-grown ingredients that provide a taste of our land, and a story of our people and place.
You can try it at teatime too, during your stay with us – for a moment of quiet and calm after a night of sundowners or a long day exploring the rapids and Falls.
