Even seeds and nuts aficionados will hardly have heard of Moluccan nuts . These are the seeds of a tree of the Euforbiaceae family, Aleurites moluccanus, which, as the name says, originates from the Moluccas, a group of Indonesian islands located between the island of Sulawesi and New Guinea.
Nowadays it is planted in many parts of the world in order to extract oil from its nuts, also called kukui oil, considered an excellent emollient and present as a base for many beauty products for the skin.
It is also indicated to protect and strengthen hair and to protect and nourish children's skin . In English these nuts are called candlenut, or candle nuts, because they are so rich in oil that they are flammable and serve for a while as candles or candles.
The walnut from the Moluccas
The fruit of the Moluccan walnut tree is spherical, from 4 to 6 centimeters in diameter, with a particularly hard shell, with colors ranging from green to brown. Inside the shell we find a little whitish, inedible pulp, and hidden by the pulp we find a walnut, which can contain from 1 to 3 seeds.
The seeds are whitish or cream-colored, reminiscent of chestnut pulp, with a whitish and powdery patina around. Chickpeas can be seen at sight. Local consumption is focused on the Indonesian islands, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the Pacific islands as far as Hawaii . The taste is reminiscent of sunflower seeds, although it is more persistent and mellow.
What do we find in the Moluccan nuts?
Like many other types of nuts and seeds, Moluccan nuts bring many calories and unsaturated fats, but they are also rich in proteins and mineral salts, especially phosphorus, potassium and magnesium, but we also find in them generally more difficult to find oligoelements in various foods: in fact there are copper, zinc and other metals .
As far as vitamins are concerned, Moluccan nuts are considered a good source of B vitamins . The consumption of Moluccan nuts rebalances the intestinal activity : if on the one hand it is able to counteract diarrhea, on the other it acts as a laxative in case of constipation.
The use made of it by local populations to combat some forms of candidiasis and arthritis is also reported. The nuts of the Moluccas, thanks to the richness of oils, have antibacterial properties .
Molucche nuts in recipes
Although not as sweet as other types of nuts, perhaps more pleasing to the palate, the Moluccan nuts are an ingredient of some Asian and peaceful cuisines .
In addition to being dried, they are roasted or toasted and salted, as is the case for cashews and peanuts, or they are transformed into a buttery sauce, as is done with sesame seeds or peanuts, especially in the Javanese or Hawaiian cuisine : the inamona or walnut cream of the Moluccas is in fact a very common condiment in Hawaii.
They are also added as a typical ingredient in many Indonesian sauces, the sambal, in spicy noodle dishes, replacing the famous peanut grain we find in Thai dishes, with chicken and with citronella fish.
The nuts of the Moluccas are not consumed naturally due to the high content of saponins .
Where to find Moluccan nuts
There are not many Indonesian or Australasian communities in Italy, but we have many residents originating from the Philippines and we can find Moluccan nuts packed in transparent bags where Filipino friends buy to buy ethnic food.
Finding these nuts is much more common in northern Europe, especially in Holland, France and England, which have historically had a strong link with Indochina, the Australasian islands and those of the Pacific Ocean.
