Gnetum gnemon

Lore & Background

Gnetum gnemon is a small to medium-size tree, growing 15–22 metres tall with a trunk diameter up to 40 cm. Unlike most other Gnetum species, which are lianas, it takes a tree form, though shrub varieties (brunonianum, griffithii, and tenerum) also exist. Its leaves are evergreen, opposite, 8–20 cm long and 3–10 cm broad, emerging bronze and maturing glossy dark green. The tree does not flower but produces male and female sporing organs on single long stems 3–6 cm long; male strobili are small and arranged on long stalks often mistaken for flowers, while female strobili, when fertilized, produce the fruit-like seeds.

Reader's Guide

Gnetum gnemon holds significance as a versatile food plant across Southeast Asia and Melanesia. Its nuts are eaten boiled, roasted, or raw, and its young leaves, male strobili, and outer fruit flesh are cooked and used in soups and stews in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. In Indonesian cuisine, known as melinjo or belinjo, the seeds are used in sayur asem (sour vegetable soup) and made into emping crackers, a type of krupuk with a slightly bitter taste. The plant is commonly cultivated in the Aceh region, where it is regarded as a high-status vegetable; its male strobili, young leaves, and female strobilus are ingredients in kuah pliek, a traditional curry served at important occasions. In the Pidie district, women make keureupuk muling from red-skinned ripe fruit. Beyond culinary use, the species is a source of stilbenoids, including resveratrol and gnemonosides, which have been studied for antibacterial, antioxidative, and immune-modulating properties, suggesting potential applications in natural food preservation and health.

Did You Know?

• Gnetum gnemon is a gymnosperm, but its fruit-like female strobili and flower-like male strobili often cause it to be mistaken for an angiosperm due to convergent evolution.
• The tree does not flower; it produces male and female sporing organs on single long stems 3–6 cm long.
• In Indonesia, melinjo season occurs three times per year: March–April, June–July, and September–October.
• The seeds are used to make emping, a type of deep-fried cracker with a slightly bitter taste.