Araucaria araucana Monkey puzzle tree nuts

There’s also Araucaria angustifolia (aka Paraná pine). Dunno if it counts as either a separated entry or same entry as the A. araucana, both are phylogenetically close to hybridise, and the genus as a whole is what’s dino food.

Some pics:

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(Yup, it’s my cover picture. See the big tree?)

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(Open and closed pines, full of edible nuts.)

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(Pine kernels with and without the shell.)

I go crazy for those once May* hits — they’re delicious even simply boiled, but they can be also prepared into dishes. (I even adapted Roman burgers to use those.)

*They actually start producing in April, but as there’s a non-zero chance the pine nuts from April are from felled trees, I avoid it. The species is critically endangered; eating some nuts is not a big deal, but falling the tree is.