short eats, screw-pine, island almonds

No good meeting at work is complete without short eats, disguised as 'tea time'. These amazing snacks come in a broad array of yuminess stuffed into some version of starch. Like spicey tuna in puff pastry, sweet coconut and tuna in a mini roll, chickpea flour and spice deep fried balls, potatoes and egg samosa-style. 

Featured here is a segment of screwpine, or kichekkeya. A tough and very fibrous fruit, similar to sugarcane. It has to be cut in small bits against the grain or it is impossible to chew. 

My colleague Zuzu demonstrates the way to cut it. She says it is best served combined with fresh coconut meat and a bit of sugar. A nice treat with good Ceylon tea. There are big seeds to be found deep in the green part, kind of like walnuts. I haven't chisled into mine deep enough to find one yet. 

They grow in giant clusters on a thick stock. 

And lastly, 'island almonds' or 'country nuts'. A tremendous amount of work is needed to get them out of their shell, but the effort is worth the tender morsel inside. They remind me of the delicate texture and mildness of pine nuts.