These edible nuts that start with b are not just good to taste but are a treasure trove of nutrients as well!
While nuts are often mistaken for seeds, they are actually fruits encased in a hard shell, hiding edible kernels that pack up powerful nutrients. While most are a healthy choice, some have certain toxic traits, too, making them absolutely unfit for consumption. To dive deeper, we have listed some of the finest nuts, starting with b below!
Nuts That Start With B
1. Bladder nuts
Botanical Name: Staphylea spp.
Found in America and Europe, Bladder nuts might pique your curiosity with their three air-filled chambers cradling the seeds. Not your average snack, it serves as a natural remedy for cough in traditional Chinese medicine!
2. Babassu nuts
Botanical Name: Attalea speciosa
Hailing from Brazil’s towering Babassu palms, these nuts hide kernels that give us babassu oil, a tropical twin to coconut oil. Exotic and useful, they’re nature’s little oil factories.
3. Beechnuts
Botanical Name: Fagus spp.
Beechnuts, or “mast,” emerge with spring’s new leaves. These mini fruits of the beech tree offer a mild nutty taste and are found in small burrs, which drop in fall after reaching maturity.
4. Brazil Nut
Botanical Name: Bertholletia excelsa
The mighty Brazil nut tree gifts us with the most popular commercially harvested edible seed that is rich in micronutrients and selenium. In fact, it happens to be the longest-lived and largest tree in the Amazon rainforest.
5. Baru nuts
Botanical Name: Dipteryx alata Vog.
What if you had one nut that could cover all your dietary needs without too many calories? That’s the super nut Baru for you! Native to the Brazilian Savanna, it has high lipid and protein content and tastes like peanuts with a hint of chocolate.
6. Bitternut hickory
Botanical Name: Carya cordiformis
Belonging to the Walnut family and native to Chicago, the Bitternut hickory is a large tree best reserved for larger landscapes. Although bitter in taste, these nuts are rich in fats and packed with calories, making them a potent energy source.
7. Betel nuts
Botanical Name: Areca catechu
High in carbohydrates and containing moderate amounts of vitamin C, these nuts are traditionally chewed for their stimulant effects. While nutritionally valuable, they should be consumed with caution due to health concerns.
8. Black walnut
Botanical Name: Juglans nigra
Hard-shelled and rich in flavor, these nuts offer an intense, earthy taste. In fact, they are a good source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid, offering a robust choice for those looking to boost their brain health and reduce inflammation.
9. Breadnut
Botanical Name: Artocarpus camansi
Known as the “kamansi” and chataigne” in Trinidad, and Tobago, the breadnut growing on a milk tree can be compared to the seeded variety of breadfruit. Interestingly, the round, green breadnut with dull spikes is closer to a fruit than it is to a nut!
10. Bush hazelnuts
Botanical Name: Corylus avellana L.
The bush hazelnut, or the American hazelnut, is also known as the American filbert and is a native shrub in the United States. These nuts are super tasty and are a chef’s favorite, too, as their shells are quite easy to crack, revealing the small, sweet kernels inside.
11. Bambara groundnuts
Botanical Name: Vigna subterranea
Though they may taste quite similar to peanuts, Bambara groundnuts have a distinctive sweet flavor and are not as oily as peanuts. These groundnuts are regarded as a ‘complete food’ because they are a balance of amino acids, fatty acids, and macronutrients.
12. Buffalo nut
Botanical Name: Pyrularia pubera
The buffalo is a parasitic plant that, in certain conditions, parasitizes the roots of other tree species. Although not widely known for their nutritional content, these nuts can be a good source of energy and protein in their young, raw form. Ideal for those who seek sustenance from the wild.
13. Borneo Tallow
Botanical Name: Shorea stenoptera
Love cakes? The oil from the Borneo tallow nut, derived from the tropical tree from Malaysia and Indonesia, is used to make exactly that! Even the fruits of this plant are large and resemble the acorn, which is also a nut but one that doesn’t actually start with B!
