why should we plant, when there are so many mongongos in the world?

Answer 1

There are so many but I have lived for 48 years so far and have no idea what a mongongo is... obviously, there aren't enough!

Answer 2

Perhaps one of the reasons one might plant such a tree would be due to the fruit, known as mongongo fruit or mongongo nut, the egg-shaped, velvety fruits ripen and fall between March and May each year, and contain a thin layer of edible flesh around a thick, hard, pitted shell. Inside this shell is a tasty and highly nutritious nut.

So popular are the fruit and nuts of the mongongo tree that they have even been described as a "staple diet" in some areas (most notably amongst the San bushmen of northern Botswana and Namibia). Archaeological evidence has shown that they have been consumed amongst San communities for over 7,000 years. Their popularity stems in part from their flavour, and in part from the fact that they store well, and remain edible for much of the year.

Dry fruits are first steamed to soften the skins. After peeling, the fruits are then cooked in water until the maroon-coloured flesh separates from the hard inner nuts. The pulp is eaten, and the nuts are saved to be roasted later. Alternatively, nuts are collected from elephant dung- the hard nut survives intact through the digestive process and elephant does the hard work of collecting the nuts.[1] During roasting of the nuts, direct contact with the fire is avoided, using sand to distribute the heat evenly. Once dry, the outer shell cracks easily, revealing the nut, encased within a soft, inner shell. The nuts are either eaten straight, or pounded as ingredients in other dishes.

The oil from the nuts has also been traditionally used as a body rub in the dry winter months, to clean and moisten the skin, while the hard, outer nut-shells are popular as divining "bones". The wood, being both strong and light, makes excellent fishing floats, toys, insulating material and drawing boards. More recently, it has been used to make dart-boards and packing cases.