Pili Nut

Canarium ovatum is a medium to large evergreen tree growing up to about 20 metres, with glossy compound leaves. The fruit is an oval drupe with a thin purplish-black skin over a fibrous pulp surrounding a hard, pointed shell. Inside the shell is a long, slender, ivory-coloured kernel, soft and easily chewed, with a mild, buttery flavour with notes of almond and pine nut. The pulp of the fruit is also edible when cooked. Trees are dioecious and take several years to start producing.

Pili nut is native to the Philippines, particularly the Bicol region in the south of Luzon, which remains the centre of production, and occurs in nearby parts of Southeast Asia. The tree needs a warm, humid climate with rain spread through the year and does not tolerate frost. Most of the world's supply comes from Bicol, where the nut is a major local industry. Trials have introduced the tree to Hawaii, Florida and other tropical areas, but production outside the Philippines is still small.

Pili has been eaten in the Philippines for generations, with the nuts harvested from both wild and planted trees. The tree is valued for providing food, resin, and shade. Pili nuts were traditionally processed by sun drying and roasting, and kept as a treat for special occasions.

In the twentieth century pili processing became an industry in Bicol, and nuts were made into candies, brittle, tarts and pastries sold as pasalubong, or souvenirs. Research institutions have worked on improved varieties and orchard practice. In the 2010s the nut gained attention outside the Philippines for being very high in fat and low in carbohydrate, and is sold as a snack in several countries, though supply is limited and prices are high.

Pili kernels are eaten raw or roasted as a snack, and are used in Philippine sweets such as pili brittle, candied pili, pili tarts and ice cream. They can be added to baked goods, granola and trail mixes, ground into nut butter or flour, and pressed for oil. The green pulp is boiled and eaten as a vegetable after cooking, or pressed for oil. Pili resin, called elemi, has industrial and traditional uses. Roasted nuts keep for several weeks in a sealed container in a cool place.

Pili nuts are very high in fat and low in carbohydrate, with moderate protein, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and vitamin E. The fat is mostly monounsaturated and saturated. Because there is little clinical research on pili nuts specifically, health claims are not well supported, and they should be treated like other energy-dense nuts and eaten in small portions.