It is a minimalist room in a house of Legazpi city in Bicol, Philippines. White walls are merging with white floor tiles on which a solitary steel table stands. In a pan on a gas stove, coconut oil is being heated. Ground is being prepared for making sweets from pili nuts—the famous edible souvenirs of the Bicol region. They are Bicol’s answer to macadamia nuts. Once the oil crackles, the action begins.
Corazon Noveno—proprietor of Noveno, a famous brand of pili nuts—scoops out powdered white sugar from a glass bowl and mixes it in the heated oil. She keeps stirring it and in a few minutes, the sugar caramelises. Halved white nuts are then put into the liquid sugar. And shortly, dark brown deep fried caramelised pili treats are ready.
“Coconut oil is used because it’s halal-certified and tastes good,” says Corazon, who is proudly carrying forward the legacy of making pili candies passed by her in laws. And this is a regular occurrence in the home of Corazon.
The fruit grows on volcanic rich soil, mostly found in Bicol, as it is home to Mount Mayon, a coned volcano and Mount Bulusan, which has hot springs and craters. The locals eat the flesh of the ripe fruit, which is bland in taste. “We put the flesh in hot water for three minutes so that it comes off the kernel. For kids, the flesh is mixed with sugar. Adults mix soya sauce and fish sauce for flavour. Filipinos use it to thicken curry,” says Liziel Mascarinas, a local.
Places, including Legazpi, Sorsogon, Masbate, Naga, Ligao, Iriga and Tabaco, are famous for selling the nuts.When the pili fruit is raw, it’s green in colour and turns purplish black when ripe. Grown from May to October, when the nuts are harvested, the pulp is removed and the kernel is broken using a nut cracker.
Dehydrators are used to make the pili nuts crunchy. They are placed in the machine for 15 hours before being fried. Apart from the caramelised version, sometimes they are coated with white sesame seeds. For a spicy flavour, they are seasoned with chilli powder and for a savoury taste, either Himalayan salt or sea salt is added.
Pili nuts are not just exotic, they are a power house of health benefits. A good source of manganese, potassium, phosphorus and Vitamin B9, these nuts help one sleep better, aid bone development and ensure proper functioning of nerves.
What can be a better souvenir for your loved ones than pili nuts?