About the Author

Nick Sims

Alumni Field Guide

Nick was a ranger at Londolozi from 2018 - 2022. He always had a love for nature. Growing up in Johannesburg, the annual family trip to the bush (particularly the Kruger Lowveld region of South Africa) became an escape from city life. When ...

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on Food for Thought

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Interesting blog Nick. I think we could all learn what to eat and survive in the bush. Love marula fruit. Marula jelly is delicious. Nothing can replace drinking Amarula coffee in the morning of Amarula on ice watching the sun set. Oh how I miss the bush.

Hi Nick. My aunt’s farm used to be part of Mabula Lodge Reserve. It is still there of course but under the name Mokaikai which is a sole ownership area. Very beautiful actually. I started visiting there for holidays from the age 4 but many years later, in the farm kitchen, I remember my husband trying to make a liqueur from Marulas. It wasn’t exactly WOW but I remember the kitchen being in a mess when he was finished! He called it “Marula Hum”! Wendy M

Love ripe marulas and Amarula liquer!

When we visited I wanted to bring back some Amarula liquor for my dad, thinking it was a rare find. Only after finally tracking some down in the airport and schlepping it across the ocean during our 36 hours of travel home, did I realize we can can buy it stateside… Oh well, it made for a funny story when I gave it to him.

Ingenious, Nick. I really enjoyed that and am looking forward to the possibility of eating or drinking marula-based something when I’m there. I was pondering whether or not the squirrels go after the nuts after they’ve been through the elephant’s system, as the nut was probably not digested – from the looks of it. Though it’s been given the perfect bed of fertilizer from which to sprout a new marula tree. Do you know about this?

Hi Patrick, the squirrels will go for marula nuts in state but it definitely helps when the elephants assist in opening the hard nut. With regards to the fertiliser comment, I agree with you – the elephant dung provides a great home for a newly germinated marula sprout.

As a chef, I deeply appreciate your post Nick. The wonders of using everything, be it animal, vegetable or mineral is critical to good cooking, and your example of using each component of the Marula fruit is perfect. In your example also lies a key to creativity: the curiosity of considering an otherwise discarded component and imaging what you might to with it. And using the example of nature, in this case that of the squirrel and the Marula nut, we can learn many valuable lessons for sustainability.

Who would have guessed the Marula tree had such a myriad varieties of value; from the leopards who use them for dining and a rest afterwards, a tasty treat for elephants and of course that fabulous ingredient that adds the velvety texture to a game drive coffee early morning.
The added bonus is the fruit is totally useable from flesh to seed. I had no idea the seed was edible and used by chefs. This is a terrific “food for thought” blog 😉

Nick, what a wonderful blog today, I never knew the Marula Tree bared nuts – I knew about the fruit, but I didn’t about the nuts

Senior Digital Ranger

The Marula fruit almost looks like guavas, found on the Hawaiian Islands, yet from the sounds of it, the fruit must be more “mellow yet sweet” in taste. Hearing about the Amarula liqueur being poured over ice also reminds me of the Italian Apricot Liqueur that is mixed to make an afternoon cocktail in Italy. Either way, you guys are making me hungry for a international style lunch!

Hello Nick! So good written! I agree with you! It was interesting to read your article. I have never tasted Marula fruit. But if I have the chance I will definitly try it! Beautiful and artistic pictures! The Londolozi Sunset lookes very delicious!…
By the way, is it possible to make marmalade of the Marula fruit also? Have you tried to do that?

Hi Ann, I have never tried to make marmalade out of marula fruit but I certainly think it’s possible. There are a number of recipes on the internet for marula jam/jelly and there is even a Londolozi blog about it (https://blog.londolozi.com/2017/03/29/how-to-make-marula-jelly/). I think if one were to tweak the recipe to make a more marmalade-esc jam, the results would be just as good!

Very well put. I love that you mentioned sustainable eating! And I now have a new food that I have to try next time I come… Londolozi Sunset….yes please!!

A great read thanks Nick. Sustainability is very much a focus for all us chefs in Europe at the moment and much like yourself, chefs are looking to the old for their knowledge of just how sustainable our grandparents and great grand parents were in eating local and using every part of the fruit or veg for numerous purposes…great that it is making such a comeback when ever piece of land is so precious now.

A nice blog Nick. Would love to taste this fruit – I know that the ellies love them. Once we are sprung from lockdown I want to go to the Liquor Store and see if I can find the liquer. Have heard so much about this fruit. Thanks for sharing and good luck on your cooking. Be well and stay safe.

Interesting post!! Never tasted Marula fruit myself yet.

I agree with you that we shoud be cooking more with locally sources. But picture 2/4 make me ask myself: wich one marula fruits are better!? Haha 🙂

The Londolozi Blog is my first ‘go to’ in my email feed. Having different perspectives on life and the bush is always uplifting.
Thanks Nick…this was very interesting and now i need a Londolozi Sunset, in more ways than one. 🙂

YUM. Always love my morning coffee with some Amarillo. Victoria

Senior Digital Ranger

Thanks Nick, this was actually a great topic and very pertinent to the conversation about sustainable living. This was also a very interesting article as I didn’t know about all the health benefits of the marula fruit – I love Amarula in my coffee on a chilly bush morning but I’m pretty sure it ain’t that healthy 😉 I also had no idea there was a nut in the middle. A very informative post, thank you!

Thanks Nick! Great education on the Marula’s! We never knew there were so many other uses besides the delicious liqueur!

Always appreciated the Marula tree…now even more so!

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