Photo of the Day: Mapuche Piñones Dish
From April 13 to 19, I traveled around Chile with two other American food journalists on a culinary media trip. Here's another snapshot from that week. —Robyn Lee
One of my new favorite ingredients that I had never come across before visiting Chile is the piñone, or pine nut. But it's not the same kind of pine nut you find in North America; these pine nuts come from the native Chilean Araucaria araucana, or monkey puzzle tree. As you can see in the photo above, taken at a small Mapuche restaurant run by Anita Epulef in the southern town of Curarrehue, these pine nuts are huge, resembling large, pointy elongated beans more than the little Tic-Tac-sized seed I'm used to. The taste is completely different too; when cooked, the dense, starchy piñone has a firm, somewhat waxy texture and has a mild flavor. You don't have to eat many of these to feel full.
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4 Comments:
oh my gosh. I love those things. I had them in Southern Brazil, where they roast them with the shells on, and then you crack them open when warm. They are popular in, I believe Sao Jose des Campos, where venders will pick the fallen ones below the trees, and then roast them to sell.
allistew at 9:16PM on 04/23/08
@allistew: Ooh, I hadn't seen them roasted in their shells! That sounds really good. If I ever go to Brazil I'll have to get some of that...
roboppy at 12:40AM on 04/24/08
I came across them a couple of years ago and I'm hooked. They work extremely well in pesto or a variety of sauces that call for nuts. Tasty in salads too. Were those in the photo boiled then pan roasted? Can't wait until they hit the shelves in a couple of months to try something new. Definitely agree that they are hunger killers though.
Someone passed this on to me a while back. In Portuguese, but simple enough for Google translate.
http://www.pr.gov.br/turismo/receitas.shtml?turistas
Asado at 2:55PM on 04/24/08
@Asado: I think they may have been boiled, but I honestly don't remember. :\ Maybe they were boiled and then...further cooked.
Mm, I'd love to try pesto made from pinones!
roboppy at 5:28PM on 04/24/08