gnetum an Asian genus of tropical trees, none of which has an English name. The trees are elegant, usually small, and they bear bunches of small fruits; these are dark red when ripe, with seeds whose edible kernels constitute nuts and which have local importance as food in various parts of SE Asia. Other parts eaten include the leaves and flowers.
The most prominent species is G. gnemon, grown and used to some extent in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In Java, the nuts are ‘abundantly sold either fresh or prepared by boiling, or better still by removing the outer coat, roasting in an iron pan, husking, moulding into cakes by beating and subsequently drying’ (Burkill, 1965–6). The dried cakes, known as emping, are fried in coconut oil before being eaten.
