Substrates
Tahitian chestnut
Tahitian chestnut is the starchy seed of Inocarpus fagifer, a food tree of tropical Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Despite its name, it is not a true chestnut, and the seed is cooked before eating.
Identity and names
Tahitian chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer, Fabaceae) is also called Polynesian chestnut or Tahiti chestnut. It is a Pacific and Southeast Asian food tree. The common name is misleading: the species is not a true chestnut (Castanea). Its fruit contains one large seed, the part used as food.
Edible seed and preparation
The seed is starchy and must be cooked before eating; sources describe boiling and roasting. A 2024 review cautions that the seed coat and other fruit parts are not edible. The seed should not be treated like a raw snack nut.
Food uses and growing range
Across the Pacific, nearly ripe seeds are boiled or roasted and eaten for their chestnut-like flavour. PROSEA also records grated seed mixed with coconut and baked in a stone oven, and storage in underground pits after partial fermentation. The tree occurs from tropical Southeast Asia across Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia; the cited sources describe this as a broad regional food, not a crop from one exclusive locality.
Places
Tropical Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands
Traditional use · Region evidenceThe review reports a broad Southeast Asian and Pacific distribution. PROSEA suggests an eastern Malesian origin and human-carried spread, while noting cultivation elsewhere; this is not a single exclusive origin.
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Sources
Discover AgricultureIdentity · Safety · Culinary use · Geography
The Tahitian chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer), a neglected multi-purpose tree from the Asia–Pacific regionIdentifies the species as Inocarpus fagifer in Fabaceae and says the common name is misleading because it is not a true chestnut.
Reports widespread tropical Southeast Asian and Pacific distribution and traditional food importance of the seed.
Says seeds are cooked, usually boiled or roasted, before consumption; the seed testa and other fruit parts are not edible.
Describes traditional dishes including grated seed with coconut milk baked in an earth oven.
Cited in: Identity and names; Edible seed and preparation; Food uses and growing range
Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA)Identity · Names · Geography · Culinary use
Inocarpus fagifer (Parkinson) FosbergLists Tahiti chestnut, Polynesian chestnut and Otaheite chestnut among English names, and regional names including gayam, ivi, aila and lala.
Describes the fruit as one-seeded and the seed as large with a hard seed coat and white endosperm.
Reports boiling or roasting nearly ripe seeds, a grated-seed and coconut dish baked in a stone oven, and underground storage after partial fermentation.
Places the species across tropical Southeast Asia and Pacific islands; its eastern Malesian origin is described as probable.
Cited in: Identity and names; Edible seed and preparation; Food uses and growing range
National Parks Board, SingaporeIdentity · Culinary use · Geography
Inocarpus fagiferIdentifies Inocarpus fagifer as Tahitian chestnut and says ripe seeds are eaten after boiling or roasting, with a chestnut-like taste.
Reports a Pacific distribution and describes its place as a culturally important edible tree.
Cited in: Edible seed and preparation; Food uses and growing range