Kukui nuts (candlenut)

Aleurites moluccanus

nuts & seeds

A very oily nut from an Indo-Malayan tree brought to the Pacific islands thousands of years ago, always eaten roasted, crushed as a condiment; kukui oil is pressed from it too.

Origin

Southeast Asia and Pacific

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

Always roasted or cooked, and one or two at a time: raw, it is toxic and violently purgative.

Did you know?

It is the official tree of the State of Hawaii; crushed, its nut seasons Indonesian, Malaysian and Hawaiian cooking, like the inamona of poke.