ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Mahua. Mahua is valued for its edible flowers and oil-bearing seeds. Fresh flowers are extremely sweet, less so when dried, having a flavor resembling that of figs. Rich in vitamins, the flowers are eaten fresh or dried and cooked with rice, grains or shredded coconut, fried or baked into cakes, or ground into flour and used in various foodstuffs. A large portion of the crop of flowers is made into syrup containing ca. 60% sugar, suitable for making jams, sweetmeats, or as a honey substitute, for production of alcohol, for making vinegar, or distilled liqueurs and wine. Seeds, with 50 to 60% fat content, are the source of Mahua Oil or Tallow Mawra Butter, used for manufacturing soaps and candles, and when refined, used as butter.
