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'''Products derived from the fruit pulp The Baobab tree grows in different regions of Madagascar and comes in many shapes and seeds sizes. Six out of the nine Baobab species in the world exist only in Madagascar, making the baobab tree can be used in a variety of food symbolic to the country. The tree and its fruits have many uses from practical and drinks as well as for cooking nutritional to medicinal and massage oilsspiritual.'''

The dry powder from the fruits is used to produce delicious and nutritious drinks, while the seeds are used to produce cooking and massage oils. [[File:Baobab_011.jpg|600px]] The Baobab name originates from the Arabic phrase ''bu hibab'' meaning fruit with many seeds. The fruit can contain several hundred seeds. Baobab belong to the Bombacaceae family of trees which includes the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntV9vEWa1iw Kapok tree].  The first botanical description of the baobab was made by French botanist Michel Adanson and a species waslater named Adansonia. The sixth and last Malagasy species was discovered and described in 1960. Baobabs are found in dry and semi-arid areas which receive less than500 mm of water per year. They are succulent plants that adapt well to aridenvironments thanks to their water storage capacity intheir thick and swollen trunks which contain up to 80% water. [[File:Morondava 0035.jpg|600px]] The baobab only bear leaves in the rainy season and are leafless duringthe dry season which limits their water loss. [[File:Andavadoaka_001.jpg|600px]] The large flowers of baobab live only for one night and open almostsimultaneously for all individuals of the same species. Baobabs are pollinatedby sphinx moths, bats and to a lesser extent bees.Birds such as sunbirds andcertain lemurs also visit baobab flowers and canhave a modest pollinating activity.The oldest known baobab species (A. rubrustipa) locatedin the Tsimanampetsotse reserve is believedto be over 1,600 years old. In baobabs, all the cellsare alive. This explains their exceptionalhealing and regeneration capabilities.Baobabs tolerate natural orman-made mutilations well and easily regenerate whichsometimes gives them astonishing forms. The fruit contains a dryand chalky pulp with manynutritional qualities. Pulp,which when mixed with water andsugar, makes a refreshing andvitamin-rich drink. The baobab fruit has many nutritional properties: * High natural Vitamin C content (at least 150mg/100g) * Strong antioxidant properties: Integral Antioxidant Capacity (IAC) - 11.1 mmol/g. This value is significantly higher than that of an orange pulp (IAC = 0.103 mmol/g), and grape seed Oligomers (IAC = 10.25 mmol/g). * A natural source of minerals including Calcium (293 mg/100g), Phosphorus (96-118 mg/100g), Iron (7-8.6 mg/100g) and Potassium (2.31 mg/100g). * Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and Vitamin B3 (niacin). * Vegetal source of amino acids. * Soluble and insoluble dietary fibers with prebiotic effects (44.6g/100g) * The acidulous taste is attributed to the presence of organic acids, such as citric acid, malic acid and succinic acid The Baobab fruit has twice as much Calcium as milk and six times the Vitamin C of an orange. According to the International Centre for Underutilized Crops at the University of Southampton (UK), the Baobab is "a fruit of the future", rich also in vitamin B1, B2. It also containshigh levels of iron and potassium. Baobab dried fruit pulp contains powerful antioxidants. Ranking of ORAC values (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, method of measuring antioxidant capacities in biological samples) shows Baobab dried fruit pulp to have double the capacity of pomegranate and cranberries, and even more than fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. The flavour of the pulp is somewhere between marshmallow and tamarind. [[File:Baobab_014.jpg|600px]] Baobab seeds are oilseeds,richer in oil than peanuts. Baobab oils contain differentfatty acids (palmitic, oleic, linoleic) but also cyclopropenicacids which must be degraded by cooking to makeedible oil. The seeds are sometimes roasted and used for coffee. [[File:Baobab_004.jpg|600px]] In the South, women prepare beauty masks from the bark. On the Mahafaly plateau, the trunk ishollowed out and the cavitiesare used as cisterns. In therainy season, they are filled withwater reserves for the dry season. For the [[Sakalava]] ethnic group, thebaobab is sacred. The species (A.grandidieri) is called "reniala", meaning"mother of the forest". The [[Mikea]], an ethnicgroup from the southwest of Madagascar, use Baobab woodto make coffins.  In the bay of [[Diego-Suarez]], several baobab species gatheredon an islet serve as graves for stillborn children. Theirbodies wrapped in shrouds are abandoned inthe forks of the branches. The Sakalava associate thebaobab 's wild nature and feminine symbolism. Sacred baobabs are places of worship dedicated to womenand children. The ceremonies,which take place at their foot, focuson the fertility of women, thegood health of children and thefertility of the land, particularlyduring a symbolic ritual called"fitahan-jaza". A Malagasy legend says that Imbelo, the first man,created the woman by carving her from baobab wood. Manyother legends are dedicated to baobab. [[File:Baobab Avenue 008.jpg|600px]] The tree has many legends, in particular, one Africanlegend explains that the baobab was once a very beautiful tree butthat was a little too pretentious. One day, this angeredGod who tore it up to punish him and replanted it upside down. Another legend is that it was the devil who pulled out the tree and planted it upside down.  The fruits of baobabsare fleshy, dry, large berriescoated in a white, chalky pulp. It is likely that giant tortoises, the elephant bird ([[Aepyornis maximus]]) and large lemurs,were good seed dispersers. This role is probably ensured todayby animals introduced by man (zebus, goats, bush pigs) orby water which can sometimes transport the fruits and theirvaluable cargoes of seeds over long distances. The appearance of the unopened fruit pods do not degrade for manyyears and can be used for decoration. The pulp is veryrich in vitamin C andmicroelements (calcium,potassium, manganese). Ithas a concentration ofvitamin C much higher thanthat of orange andequivalent to that of kiwi.The fruits can remain on the trees for several months before fallingto the ground. Baobab fruit seeds are bean-shaped.Their size and colour vary depending on thespecies. Almost all parts of the tree are used, except thetrunk. The fruits are pickedfrom the ground or the tree severaltens of meters high usingrudimentary ladders. [[File:Baobab Avenue 009.jpg|600px]] All Malagasy species are included on the red list of endangered species. There are numerous sites for observingbaobabs. The most famous ofthem is [[Baobab Avenue]] 20 kilometers north of [[Morondava]]. And [[Majunga]] is home toa baobab that measures22 meters in circumference. It isrepresented on the city's coatof arms and is one of itsmain tourist attractions. In Madagascar's national symbols, many naturalbaobab sites remain little visitedbecause they are difficult toaccess.