Pequi Oil

The pulp of pequi drupes, fruit also known as souari nut in English, can be eaten as a fruit or transformed into an orange, aromatic oil of intense flavor, mostly used in the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil. It is used as seasoning, as an ingredient for pickled hot peppers, and also to replace olive oil and pequi pulp in some dishes, such as mashes and sauces. In Tocantins, it is part of rural workers breakfast, mixed with manioc flour and salt and accompanied by rapadura. High in vitamin A, calcium, iron and copper, it has medicinal and phytoterapeutic use (to fight bronchitis and flu), and is used in the cosmetics industry. In more traditional extraction methods, the oil is obtained from both the pulp and the nut.