2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Pekui (lat. Caryocar brasiliense) - woody fruit crop from the Cariocarceae family. The fruits of this plant are sometimes called "souari" nuts.
Description
Pekui is a spectacular fruit tree up to ten meters high, equipped with rather tough, bristly and large leaves. Pequi begins to bloom in July and ends in September. Its bisexual, yellowish-whitish flowers include a truly incredible number of stamens. For a day, all the flowers are prudently closed, opening only in the dark, and bats pollinate these bizarre flowers. It should also be noted that the pequi flowers cannot boast of a pleasant smell.
Pequi fruits are characterized by a fairly strong and rich aroma, dark olive, rich green or bright yellow color, as well as surprisingly pleasant taste. After the fruit is set, it takes up to six months on average to ripen. In the fleshy parts of the fruit, there are light seeds enclosed in black shells, and the shells themselves are covered with thin and small, but at the same time, amazingly hard thorns.
Where grows
The homeland of the pequi is distant Brazil. It also grows there mainly now.
Application
Pequi has a special cultural significance among the Indian population of sunny Brazil - they willingly eat these fruits and prepare amazingly tasty and very original dishes from them. And the taste of roasted pequi seeds is not much different from the taste of roasted peanuts. Many representatives of the world of animals and birds do not refuse to feast on the fruits of pequi, they are especially loved by such a common bird of prey in Panama as the yellow caracar.
Pequi fruits are not only insanely tasty, but also very nutritious - they are very rich in fatty palmetinic and oleic acids, and also contain stearic and linolenic acids useful for the human body.
By the way, excellent edible oil is squeezed out of pequi seeds, as well as from pulp - its total content in fruits with seeds reaches about sixty percent. The oil from these fruits turns out to be incredibly thick, like resin. It is transparent in color, with a slight yellowish tinge. Since pequi oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamin A, it is often used as a dietary supplement. It can also help reduce cholesterol and prevent the development of not only atherosclerosis, but also a number of other diseases of the cardiovascular system. Pequi oil is also widely used to normalize the menstrual cycle, as well as to treat some fungal diseases and even sarcoma. It is appreciated in medicine and as an external remedy: during physical overload and sprains, it perfectly relieves muscle pain.
Pequi oil is also used in cosmetology - on its basis, highly effective face creams are made, ideal for owners of dry skin. To restore hair and give it a healthy shine, curls are also rubbed with pequi oil. And the Indians make a wonderful soap on the basis of pequi oil, which prevents the skin from drying out.
Pekui wood has also found its application, it is completely not subject to deformation and is distinguished by its amazing strength - these valuable qualities made it very popular in construction.
It is noteworthy that the silverware after contact with the pequi fruits begins to turn black, so experts recommend eating these fruits with your hands, without resorting to the help of any cutlery.
Contraindications
When eating pequi fruits, the likelihood of allergic manifestations and individual intolerance cannot be completely ruled out.
