Pili nut ✦

Noix de pili

What it is

The shell is hard enough that it is split one nut at a time with a struck blade, which is why pili is only ever sold shelled and priced accordingly. In Bicol nothing is wasted: the fleshy pulp around the shell is softened in hot water and eaten with salt and rice, treated as a vegetable rather than a fruit.

In the kitchen

It carries more fat than any other nut in the trade and it roasts fast — 140 °C for eight to ten minutes, and stop while it is still pale. Do not wait for a crunch: a properly roasted pili melts rather than snaps, and by the time it is crisp it is burnt.

Goes with

Dark chocolate Coconut Palm sugar Vanilla Honey Salt Butter Cocoa nibs

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