souari

souari or swarri nut, name for tropical trees of the genus Caryocar, abundant in N South America. The fatty “nuts,” botanically drupe fruits, somewhat resemble Brazil nuts but are much larger and richer in taste. The flesh surrounding the seeds is sometimes cooked as a vegetable or used as a meat condiment. The extracted oil (souari fat) is used in cooking and is exported commercially as a nondrying oil. Other names for the souari are piquia and paradise, butter, or guiana nut. It is also spelled suari or Sawarri. The souari is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Theales, family Caryoceraceae.

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