The gourds
We give the same name gourd to two different plants :
1: The gourd , family of bignoniaceae,
is the fruit of the calabash tree,a tropical tree 3 to 8 meters high,
that is found in South America, the Caribbean islands and Africa.
Its presence is especially beneficial to the ecosystem.
The fruit is green, its color becomes brown on drying.
Its thinness (1.5 to 2 mm), makes it an excellent sounding bowl.
2: The gourd , family of cucurbitaceae.
Its real name is colocynth whose fruit, which resembles a small and green watermelon,
becomes completely yellow when ripe, its color becomes clearer when drying.
Archaeological remains have been found , dating back to 12,000 years BC
For centuries and even millennia, colocynths and calabashes
are used as cooking utensils.
They both are used , also, for our instruments :
- The colocynths used are from a solidarity trade with Niger and Burkina Faso (see company Fifala).
- The calabashes come from our partnership with Alioune Ndiaye, Senegalese artisan.
See page
fair trade.
Image : markuso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Calabashes
Colocynths