Extensive Definition
The breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum) is a Brosimum tree
species under the Moraceae family of
flowering
plants, whose other genera include fig and mulberries. Other common names
for the plant include the Maya nut and ramón (particularly in
Spanish-speaking regions). The plant is also known by a range of
names in indigenous
Mesoamerican and other languages, including but not limited to:
ojoche, ojite, ojushte, ujushte, ujuxte, capomo, mojo, ox, iximche and masica.
The breadnut fruit disperses on the ground in
March and April and has a large seed covered by a thin,
citrus-flavored orange-colored skin favored by a number of forest
creatures. More importantly, the large seed which is enveloped by
the tasty skin is an edible ‘nut’ that can be leached and ground
into a meal for porridge or flatbread. Ramon is nutritious
and has value as a food source, and formed a part of the diet of
the pre-Columbian
Maya of
the lowlands region in Mesoamerica,
although to what extent has been a matter of some debate among Maya
historians and archaeologists.
It was planted by the Maya
civilization two thousand years ago and it has been claimed to
have been a staple food
in the
Maya diet, although other research has downplayed its
significance. In the modern era it has been neglected as a source
of nutrition and has often been characterised as a famine
food.
Erika Vohman
of The Equilibrium Fund has been promoting its use in Central
America and is campaigning to save the rainforests where Maya
Nut grows. For this work Vohman won the 2006
St Andrews Prize for the Environment worth $50,000. She has
been working with rural and indigenous women teaching them to use
Maya Nut to improve tropical
rainforest conservation,
reforestation,
health and nutrition,
food
security, Women’s incomes, self-esteem and status, maternal
health and infant birth weights. Since 2001 The Equilibrium Fund
has trained over 7000 women from 312 villages in Honduras,
Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. The St. Andrews Prize
money is earmarked for expansion of the Maya Nut program to new
regions in these countries.
The breadnut is extremely high in fiber, calcium, potassium, folic acid,
iron, zinc, protein and vitamins A, E, C and B. The
fresh seeds can be cooked and eaten or can be set out to dry in the
sun to roast and eat later. Stewed the nut tastes like mashed
potato, roasted it tastes like chocolate or coffee and can be
prepared in numerous other dishes. In Petén,
Guatemala, the
breadnut is being cultivated for exportation and local consumption
as powder, for hot beverages, and bread.
The tree can reach up to 45 meters (130 feet).
External links
breadnut in German: Brotnussbaum
breadnut in Spanish: Brosimum alicastrum
breadnut in Italian: Brosimum alicastrum
breadnut in Japanese: ラモンの木