Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

madia ‘nut’, the seed of Madia sativa, a plant of S. America and the western seaboard of N. America. It is sometimes called Chile tarweed.

The seeds are edible, raw or roasted, and can be used to make pinole. They are also the source of madia oil, a sweet oil which has occasionally been used in place of olive oil. The plant is said to be cultivated for these purposes.