Since 2016, Kenyan born celebrity chef and restaurateur Kiran Jethwa has co-presented Food Unwrapped on Channel 4. His new show, Extreme Food (airing Monday 26th September at 8pm) sees him travelling to the most remote and spectacular corners of the planet to discover the world’s finest ingredients. Here, he discusses his latest superfood find: moringa.
What Is It?
The Moringa tree actually originated in India but has been transplanted to many other tropical and sub-tropical countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In many African countries it is known as “Nebedaye” because this is one tough tree, as it seems to thrive no matter how harsh the environment, how poor the soil, or bad the drought.
I first discovered the extraordinary unique properties of Moringa a few years ago when I was filming my TV series Tales From The Bush Larder in Kenya. We found a beautiful specimen of a Moringa tree on the shores of Lake Baringo. The tree was considered a legend in that area, valued as a multi purpose medicinal miracle tree used to cure fevers, eye infections, diarrhea, bronchitis amongst others.
Whilst I was there I witnessed an interesting local practice; a woman in the community had just given birth so the villagers slaughtered a goat and boiled the meat with Moringa. It was given to the woman to boost her energy and to help her produce nutritious milk for her little one.
What Makes It A Superfood?
In India Moringa has been used for thousands of years for everything from food, to building materials, to medicine. What is particularly amazing about this tree is that absolutely every part of it can be eaten, even the bark, which when you cut open, smells like freshly pressed carrot and ginger juice. The roots, stems, leaves, seed pods, resin and flowers are considered to be healing herbs in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian healing system) and can be used to cure upwards of 300 diseases.
Moringa leaves are edible and ground into powder and can be used as a natural health-promoting multivitamin potent with nutrients, proteins and enzymes.
Another incredible Moringa super power is its ability to purify water. The crushed seeds of the tree cause bacteria to clump together and die when they are added to water – very useful if like me you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the African bush!
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