Today I planted a Tahitian chestnut tree (Inocarpus fagifer) that I got from Joe. This tree has many names in Melanesia and Polynesia – ifi, ihi, i’i, ivi, mape, namambe. Strangely it wasn’t part of the Hawaiian diet but it is a major staple food of their ancestors and is considered the most important nut crop of the Pacific. The tree produces edible nuts that need to be cooked, otherwise it is toxic. A mature 25 year old tree can produce around 165 pounds (75 kg) of food per year.
As the name suggests, it tastes like chestnuts and can be eaten sweetened or savory. It can be baked, steamed, boiled, grilled and in Fiji they grind up the kernels, mix it with coconut milk and bake it in an underground oven wrapped in banana leaves.
The tree can start flowering in 3 to 4 years and at around 8 years the trunk starts to develop the coolest looking buttresses.
Tahitian chestnut is usually found growing in river banks, marshes and in coastal areas, but it can grow just about anywhere with a lot of rain. Since the size and shape of the tree can vary, this tree can be as small as 35 feet or as tall as 100 feet. I made sure to plant it way off to the side far away from any walking paths.
Originally posted on 2021-10-20, part of the daily planting journal behind Ha’a Chocolate’s food forest on Hawai’i Island.