Beech nut, mast/beechmast
faîne (French), Bucheichel (German), faggiuola (Italian), hayuco (Spanish), fruto da faia (Portuguese), bukovyi oreshek (Russian)
(Fagus spp. –Family Fagaceae)
Beech nuts are small nuts gathered from beech trees; but the term “mast” or “beechmast” is also used for acorns. The small triangular beech nuts are borne in pairs inside a cup with four prickly brown sides and change from green to brown as they ripen. The husks then blow open by the wind and the nuts fall to the ground. Imagine this happening by the thousands from one area of trees! Roasting makes them easier to peel after which they are rubbed and sieved to get rid of the small hairs. After salting and drying, the beech nuts are eaten whole or ground into a meal to be added to breads. The nuts have a good flavour, but, although used for food since prehistoric times, their main purpose now is to feed animals, especially pigs. In some countries, including France, the practice of turning pigs and turkeys into beech woods to eat the fallen nuts continues to this day. Although the nuts are rarely used for human consumption (still being regarded as famine food), the oil obtained from them is used by rural European populations for both salads and cooking. The oil has an above-average keeping quality and a good flavour.
– American beechnut (Fagus grandifolia – Family Fagaceae) is one of about ten kinds of beech found in the northern temperate zones, thriving especially in the Allegheny mountains and as far south as Florida and Texas, but doing best at higher elevations. The American beech produces the same small triangular seeds, which generally resemble large buckwheat seeds; but, in character, they resemble the chestnut. Because the meat clings to the shell, making it difficult to remove, they are not largely harvested; and the nuts soon spoil after falling unless collected and dried.
– European beechnut (F. sylvatica) also produces edible nuts but are used mainly for their valuable oil. In France, the nuts are roasted, ground, and served as a coffee substitute. At one time in Norway and Sweden, the sawdust from beechwood was boiled, baked, and then mixed with flour and made into bread. European beech trees often form homogenous forests and are used as hedges in many districts.
