If you’re crazy about nuts, if you like to try new foods, or if you are on the lookout for a new nutrient-dense superfood, then let’s welcome to the stage–pili nuts! Of course, they aren’t really new, since the people where they’re grown have known about them for centuries. But the pili nut is gradually poking its head out of its shell in its native turf and becoming known in the Americas and Europe.
What Is a Pili Nut?
The pili nut (Canarium ovatum), which is also known as kenari, is the product of a tropical evergreen tree. The tear-shaped nuts are about 1.6 to 2.8 inches long, and each end of the nut is pointed, one being less pointy than the other. The outer shell is light brown to tan while the inner nut or kernel is milky in color underneath a brownish seed coat. Each kernel is composed of approximately 8 percent carbohydrate, 11.5 to 13.9 percent protein, and 70 percent fat.How Are Pili Nuts Grown and Used?
Pili nut trees are found throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and the nuts are harvested from natural strands of the trees in the mountains. The nuts are popular for their taste and nutrition as well as their oil, which can be used for making soaps and cosmetics.People in Southeast Asia enjoy pili nuts in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most popular way is as a deep-fried, sugar-coated dessert, and as candy and brittle. In Indonesia, they are used in cakes and other baked goods, chocolate, and ice cream. Pili nuts are exported to Taiwan and Hong Kong and are a key ingredient in the famous Chinese festive moon cakes.
