Cohune Nut

The cohune nut is the seed kernel of the cohune palm (Attalea cohune), a large palm tree native to Central America and southern Mexico. The nut is encased in an extremely hard, thick shell that must be cracked with force, and the oily white kernel inside is eaten directly in some communities or, more commonly, pressed for cohune oil, an important traditional cooking and lamp oil across Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. The tree's fibrous husk and shell have also historically been used as fuel and for charcoal, alongside the kernel's food use.