ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Amadou

Amadou is a special material that comes from a type of mushroom called Fomes fomentarius. These mushrooms grow on trees, and when they are ready, people can harvest them.

Once the mushroom has been collected, the people carefully remove the outer layers and keep only the inner part. They dry this inner part and turn it into amadou.

Amadou looks like a brownish, spongy material, almost like a kitchen sponge. But it is not soft like a regular sponge. In fact, it is very tough and can be used for many things.

One of the coolest things about amadou is that it is really good at absorbing water. If you pour water on it, amadou will soak it up and become wet. But you can squeeze it, and all the water will come right back out. This makes it a great material for things like sponges or even bandages for wounds.

People have been using amadou for a very long time, even before they had modern materials like rubber or plastic. They used to use amadou to make things like hats, shoes, and even coats or rainproof clothing. This is because amadou is naturally resistant to water, so it keeps you dry even if it is raining.

But amadou also has another really useful property. When you light it with a match or a spark, it can catch fire really easily. So people also used amadou as a kind of ancient lighter. They could use it to start a fire when they needed warmth or to cook food.

So, to sum it up, amadou is a special material that comes from a mushroom. It is tough, absorbs water, and can catch fire easily. People used it for many things in the past, like making clothes, starting fires, or simply cleaning up spills.