India, Sept. 17 -- Spekboom, a hardy South African succulent, stabilises soil, stores water and sequesters carbon, yet is rarely eaten.

Scientists tested its texture, acidity and vitamin C when cooked and developed recipes from curds to chutneys and dukkah.

Surveys show consumers are willing to buy it if informed and it's affordable, suggesting spekboom could become a nutritious staple in a fragile food system.

Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is an easy-to-grow succulent shrub, small tree, or hedge.

In the wild, it grows naturally to up to five metres tall on steep slopes and rocky hillsides in the Karoo and Eastern Cape regions of South Africa, where it helps to stabilise soil and prevent erosion. It's also a champion of carbon sequestr...