Bread Nuts

Bread nut, snakewood
(Brosimum alicastrum – Family Moraceae)
Although from the same family, the bread nut is not to be confused with the Breadnut fruit (Artocarpus altilis). This tropical American tree bears small, roundish yellow or brown seeds, about an inch or so in diameter, that come singly or in pairs in a papery-thin, but sturdy, shell. The surface is smooth, but somewhat granular. The nuts are only edible after cooking or roasting, but they are nutritious and a staple food for many people. Cattle and horses are also fond of them; and cattlemen use them to fatten their livestock. Their flavour resembles that of chestnuts, and are often used like potatoes. They can also be ground to a meal and mixed with maize to make tortillas. The Maya bake them with green plantain when their supply of corn runs low. White or yellow breadnut (Trophis sp. – Family Moraceae) comes from a type of tree grown in Mexico, Madagascar, Malaysia, and the West Indies. These fruits have scant flesh and large seeds which is boiled for human consumption. Horses are particularly fond of the foliage.