Bunya nut

Araucaria bidwillii · Nut

40 pairings

The bunya nut is the big, starchy edible seed of the bunya pine (Araucaria bidwillii), a towering ancient conifer native to south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Far larger than most edible nuts — each kernel is the size of a small chestnut or larger — it is starchy rather than oily, with a soft, floury, faintly sweet flesh that has been a prized food of Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years, eaten roasted, boiled or ground into a paste or flour.

Picking a good onedrag

Just off the cone, heavy and fullDried hollow, sour or mouldy

Market freshThe all-rounder: boil in the shell until it slices, then mash, fry or puree. Raw is edible but hard and faintly bitter, which is why it is cooked.Everyday best

The shellBrown gone duller, a scuff or a dry graze

HeftStill heavy, the kernel filling the shell

Crack one openCream and a little dull, still firm right through

SmellAlmost nothing left, cool and floury

What to look for, from just off the cone, heavy and full to dried hollow, sour or mouldy.

Preparing