Toothbrush tree (miswak)

Salvadora persica

fruit

Small pink berries with a peppery watercress taste, sweet and hot, raw or dried.

Origin

Arabia, East Africa, the Sahel and India

Where to find it

In deserts and dry savannas, from Rajasthan to Kenya; in Rajasthan, its berries, “pilu”, are sold at market in early summer.

Season (United States)

April to June

Preparation

The ripe berries are eaten raw, whole, spitting out the seed; dried, they are eaten like raisins.

Molecules

In small amounts, not counted Pectins · Insoluble fibers

Did you know?

Its roots give siwak, the chewing sticks used as toothbrushes in the Muslim world.