Hawaiian
Kukui nut (Aleurites moluccanus) oil was the primary cooking oil and lamp oil of ancient Hawaiʻi. The nuts were roasted, cracked, and the oily kernels pressed or rendered. Kukui oil has a rich, nutty flavour and a relatively low smoke point — it was used for finishing and flavouring rather than high-heat cooking. In modern Hawaiʻi, inamona (roasted, salted, mashed kukui nut) is the surviving culinary expression. The oil production technique itself has largely been replaced by modern cooking oils but represents a critical piece of the Hawaiian fat story: before coconut cream, before butter, before sesame oil, there was kukui.
1. Fresh kukui nuts roasted until the oil runs, then cracked and pressed. The oil is golden, nutty, and deeply Hawaiian.
Fresh kukui nuts roasted until the oil runs, then cracked and pressed. The oil is golden, nutty, and deeply Hawaiian.
Pacific Migration Trail