In ancient times, probably the best-known use for the kukui nut was lighting. The nuts were lightly baked so that the hard shells cracked open. The oily kernels were threaded 10 or 12 at a time onto the stiff midrib of a coconut leaf or strip of bamboo. The top kernel was lighted and burned for about 2 to 3 minutes, igniting the kernel below. The result was a primitive candle that burned for about a half hour. Often these strings of kukui kernels were laid in a cupped stone receptacle, later called a stone lamp. Naturally, seeing the burning nuts, the first European visitors to Hawaii christened the kukui the "candlenut".
Torches made with kukui kernels were used by fisherman for night fishing on the reef and at evening ceremonies at heiaus. Even when warriors were called to battle, they were required to bring kukui nuts with them to make torches.
So when you need to cut back on the electric bill or can't find that flashlight in the middle of a black out remember to hone your inner Hawaiian and light up kukui kernels or oil for illumination.
4 comments:
I'm going to try making some stone lamps for my next backyard cookout. I have a giant stone buddha and a stone lamp should add to the peaceful corner. I have some kukui nuts drying in the sun right now. Found them at Makalei Golf Course while I was waiting for peacocks to come out so I could photograph them. I see kukui trees all over the Big Island - much more accessible than on Oahu.
I have always wanted to figure out how to get a whole kernel out of a kukui nut. The shells are so hard that when you crack the shell the kernel sticks to the shell and splits. So I tried a number of things this weekend. Baked raw kukui at 375°F. for 45 minutes. Way too hot for way too long! Then I baked the nuts for 2 hours at 225°F. Easy to crack the shell, but the kernel still came out in pieces. Then I left the nuts in the oven at 175° for 10 hours. They were still easy to split, but no whole kernels. I will continue my quest for the perfect whole kernel.
I added the pictures above that I just received from our biggest kukui fan. The first one is a stone lamp with roasted bit of the kukui kernels. There was about 6 kernels in there and it burnt for about 12 minutes. The second one is a kuku oil lamp with a wick. The wick was soaked over night in the oil. The candle has been burning for over 3 hours. Pretty remarkable that the kukui oil burns so well.
The best result of removing a whole kernel from the kukui nut shell is to bake it in a pan or get them heated at a high temperature. Remove the heated shell(s) and place them in ice cold water. The sudden change in temperature should create fissures or crack the shell altogether.
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