Breadnut

The ramon tree is a tall evergreen of tropical forest, often exceeding thirty metres, with milky latex and dense, shiny leaves that are used as animal fodder. The fruit is a small, round, fleshy drupe about two to three centimetres across, yellow-orange to reddish when ripe, with a sweet thin pulp around a single round seed.

The seed, with a papery brown coat, is pale and starchy inside. Roasted, it has a flavour somewhat like a cross between chocolate, coffee and sweet potato, with a nutty, slightly malty depth.

It is sold as whole dried seeds, roasted seeds and flour or powder.

Brosimum alicastrum is native to the Neotropics, from southern Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, as well as the Caribbean. It is common in the Yucatan peninsula, Guatemala and Belize.

The tree grows in a range of lowland and foothill forests, often on limestone soils, and it is among the most abundant trees in parts of the Maya region.

The name ramon is a Spanish word used in Mexico and Central America, and many indigenous names exist, such as ox in Yucatec Maya. The English name breadnut is shared with an unrelated tree, Artocarpus camansi, in the Caribbean.

Ramon has been associated with the pre-Columbian Maya, and some researchers have suggested that the trees, found abundantly around ruins, were deliberately encouraged by the Maya as a staple or famine food. The seeds can be stored dried for months, and the tree bears reliably, even in dry years. That theory remains debated among archaeologists and ethnobotanists.

After the Spanish conquest, the ramon continued to be used by rural communities, mainly as a food in hard times and as fodder for cattle, since the leaves and fruits are nutritious for livestock. Over the 20th century, it was largely forgotten as a food, as maize and wheat dominated diets.

Since the 1990s, organisations and community groups in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador have revived the use of ramon seeds, promoting flour, drinks and baked goods in the name of food security and forest conservation, and the product is now sold in some specialty markets under the name Maya nut.

The seeds are boiled or roasted and ground into flour for tortillas, breads, porridges and pancakes, or mixed with wheat flour in baked goods. A roasted seed powder is brewed as a caffeine-free, coffee-like drink.

The fresh fruit pulp is eaten as a sweet snack, and in some regions, the seeds are boiled and eaten like potatoes.

The leaves and fruits are fed to livestock, and the wood is used in construction. Latex is used in some local remedies, and the tree is valued in reforestation projects for its shade and soil protection.

Analyses of ramon seed report that it is high in carbohydrate and a good source of dietary fibre, with useful amounts of protein, calcium, potassium and folate for a plant-based flour, though results vary by study and processing method.

Claims about its benefits for asthma, blood sugar and breastfeeding come from traditional use and promotional material, and clinical evidence is lacking.