Candle Nut (Aleurites moluccanus)

Family: Euphorbiaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus), otherwise known as Kukui Nut Tree, Candleberry, Kemiri, Indian Walnut, Varnish Tree, Nuez dela India, or Buah Keras is a flowering tree that grows up to 25 m tall and has a spreading, irregular, dense canopy and a straight and cylindrical bole and can be up to 70 - 150 cm in diameter. The nut is round, and the seed inside has a very hard seed coat and a high oil content.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavour of its own, but mainly acts as a flavour enhancer, being added to numerous dishes in small quantities, raw, or briefly roasted, pounded and mixed with other ingredients. — Edible portion: Kernel, Seeds, Nut, Vegetable.; The roasted seed is eaten in small quantities only, since larger amounts are said to be laxative.; The seeds of a type grown in Vanuatu can be eaten in larger quantities without any apparent toxic effect.; After removing the hard outer coat, the seed can be pounded into a meal and eaten as a sauce.

Habitat & North American Range

Rain forest, monsoon forest, or tall advanced secondary forest; growing on mountain slopes, very abundant on ridges, sometimes in sandy soil among granite boulders, loam soil or on former shifting cultivation lands, at elevations below 300 metres. (Zone 10)