Rediscovering the breadnut tree in Colombia

DW (English)

Brosimum alicastrum - commonly called the guáimaro or breadnut tree - grows in Central American dry forest areas. Its leaves, milky sap and roots are used as medicines, while its seeds are viewed by many as a superfood.

Transcript

00:00Colombia's tropical dry forest is home to many unique animals and plants.

00:05A very special tree also grows here.

00:08It's a very, very important tree in the tropical dry forest that provides food for

00:15birds, rodents, mammals and humans.

00:21The guaymaro is also known as the tree of life.

00:27This comes from the flower, the fruit of the guaymaro.

00:31The tree's seeds, or nuts, are highly nutritional.

00:35They contain amino acids and proteins, and they also have a lot of calcium.

00:43Guaymaro is currently being rediscovered by Colombia's culinary scene, and that's helping

00:48with the reforestation of endangered woodlands.

00:54In Latin, this giant tree is called brosimum alicastrum, but it has many names.

01:02Guaymaro is also known as ramon, or hoje, the breadnut, or Maya nut tree.

01:09It's thought that its seeds played an important dietary role for the ancient Maya.

01:14It's found in Central America's dry forest areas.

01:17For Colombians like Javier Jose Zequeda, it's an old acquaintance.

01:25I've known it ever since I was a child.

01:28When my grandfather took us home with him, he taught us a lot about the guaymaro's nutritional

01:33and physiological aspects.

01:35We children ate them.

01:37We harvested the nuts wild in the forest and ate them raw or cooked.

01:42They nourished us.

01:44Even as a child, I knew many ways to prepare them.

01:47Now I know that the tree has even more great properties, so it has even more value for

01:51me.

01:56Guaymaro seeds are harvested with the help of animals that live in and feed on the tree.

02:01It's considered an umbrella species, as it contributes to the survival of numerous other

02:06species in the same habitat.

02:14Bats eat the pod that contains the nuts.

02:16They eat the pod, but not the seeds.

02:19The bats drop them, along with some birds.

02:22We gather them up from the ground, take them home, wash and sort them, and leave them to

02:28dry.

02:30After a few days, maybe 15 to 22 of them, depending on the weather, the seeds have dried.

02:38In the town of Ovejas in northern Colombia, guaymaro seeds from the Montes de Maria are

02:44turned into flour in a processing plant set up by a Colombian-French NGO called Envolver.

02:53Its goal is to sustainably use non-timber forest resources, so those that don't require

02:59felling trees, like the guaymaro seeds.

03:04Here they're moved and shaken because the seeds are covered by a skin even after they've

03:09been dried completely.

03:11Then they're processed further, roasted, ground and packaged.

03:15We then send the end product to Bogotá.

03:18You can consume it as a superfood in anything you want.

03:21You can put it in milk, in rice, in sweets, in bread, in thousands of recipes, just as

03:27you like.

03:30From the jungle to the table, that's the motto at this gourmet restaurant in the Colombian

03:35capital.

03:38Chef Antoinella Ariza has discovered that guaymaro flour can be a versatile ingredient

03:44in practically any dish.

03:54It's a very universal product because it's a ground powder.

03:58You can use it as a kind of coating, for example.

04:01Today I mixed it with yuca to make the dough for my empanadas.

04:06It's very, very easy to use, and it has a really special taste, one that's unfamiliar.

04:14It's almost never used, despite the fact that it's so versatile, because the flour can be

04:19used in many different ways.

04:24Guaymaro is very aromatic, with a smell similar to coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg or chocolate,

04:32so it's ideal for ice cream.

04:40Our ice cream recipe seeks to emphasize the special flavor of the nut.

04:45It helps us introduce it to people who may have no idea what guaymaro is, and so they

04:51get to know it for the first time.

04:57Collaboration with the scientific community is important to ensure that guests appreciate

05:01the novel product.

05:04In nutritional terms, the seeds of the breadnut tree are really packed with healthy components.

05:14Studies have looked at that.

05:16The results show that it really is a kind of superfood, and we want to share that realization

05:22with everyone.

05:26At the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute in Villa de Leyva, Monica

05:32Flores is doing in-depth work on guaymaro.

05:37She studies myths, tales and legends about the tree in indigenous communities, as well

05:43as its nutritional value and many uses.

05:46The guaymaro is a member of the moracea family, plants that are characterized by the fact

05:51that their leaves produce a milky sap called latex.

05:58The plant also has medicinal properties.

06:02The latex can be used as an ointment for some wounds.

06:09It's also used to cleanse the stomach, and the roots from guaymaro's seedlings are used

06:16to treat urological conditions and to purify the blood.

06:22Over 40 percent of the seed by weight is protein.

06:25It also contains a lot of iron and healthy omega fatty acids.

06:30This gives it great potential as a product that can help ensure food security.

06:38A single tree can bear a lot of fruit in one season.

06:42You can even substitute it for meat or other proteins.

06:46And it can be a food source for a very large population.

06:50A single tree can feed a lot of people.

06:53For me, therefore, it's a superfood.

06:58The seeds are not only strengthening the economy in rural areas like Ovejas, but also highlighting

07:04the importance of Colombia's tropical dry forest, an ecosystem under threat from agriculture

07:10and livestock farming.

07:13The enormous roots of the guaymaro tree grow very deep, so it's resistant to both drought

07:18and fire, making it an ally in the fight against malnutrition in an era of climate change.

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