The fruit is a globular, dark green drupe with fibrous pulp and a single seed, sweet and sour in taste.

The season of ditakh begins in early July and continues till October before it slowly dwindles in the market. The tree grows in the Gambian forests and is harvested by locals to sell at various markets. In The Gambia, it is a highly imported fruit from the neighbouring country Senegal. The fruit is sold at the main markets and can be found on the streets or in front of compounds. You can buy a big pot for about D50 or single fruit for D5 to D10.

The pulp of the fruit is the edible part. By removing a hardened brown shell, you can access the delicious green flesh, which you can eat by melting it with your tongue and sucking it.

One of our favourites is ditakh juice, which is very easy to prepare. Removing the hard shell and soaking the green part in water will give you a delicious, natural drink in no time. You can add sugar to the taste and cool it down to make it more refreshing. Check the whole preparation process in the video:

Gambians use ditakh for treatment purposes as well. The tree's bark can be used to expel the placenta after birth. The ditakh tree bark concoction is also used to treat amnesia. Leaves and roots can be used for treating wounds, pneumonia, stomach ache, digestive problems etc.