The pili nut isn’t new, but we’re only now learning about this superfood.
Pili Nuts
Foodies gush about their flavor. Health devotees call them a superfood. Surely the Big O’s (Oprah and Dr. Oz) are but moments away from singing their praise.
Native to Malesia (comprised of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua, New Guinea and northern Australia), the pili nut in the shell looks like a pistachio; shelled, more like a peanut. The taste boasts something superior to that of the almond, with a rich, buttery taste that almost melts in your mouth when you eat it. When roasted, the pili nut becomes crisp in texture, and it goes well with chocolate and champagne, of all things.
Although higher than some nuts in calories and fat, these tree nuts offer amazing health benefits and are a rich source of heart healthy omegas. Supporters call them “the king of nuts.” They contain all eight essential amino acids and are packed with magnesium and more vitamin E than any other nut. If only George Washington Carver had these to work with …
As the new nut in town, pilis have not received much study. But the benefits of eating nuts have been very much in the news, thanks to a hefty Harvard study published in November in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study tracked 119,000 men and women over 30 years and found that daily nut eaters were 20% less likely to die during the study period than non-nut-eaters. Regular nut-eaters also stayed slimmer–another reason to go nuts for nuts.
Pili nuts are hard to find locally, but here are some online sources to try: LiveSuperFoods.com, SJOrganics.com, DivineOrganics.com
