When it comes to indigenous edibles, a few spring to mind, especially the fruit of the marula tree that was so memorable in Jamie Uys’s iconic film Beautiful People (1974). In it, wild animals like elephants, baboons, ostriches and warthogs gorge themselves on fermented marula fruit and then find themselves quite drunk. For those who are not as old as me, you can still see clips from the movie on YouTube for a good laugh.
Amongst the more than 22 000 indigenous plant species found in our country, there are a host of edible ones including grains, roots, leaves, berries and fruits. However, there are also about twice as many that are poisonous, so it’s good to be sure before eating any plant. Here are some of the
