Pandanus, The Divine Tree

By Amy Levendusky

Pandanus (Pandanus tectorius) is an important staple food in the Federated States of Micornesia), especially on the atoll islands and is also an important food on many other atoll islands in the Pacific, including Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Tokelau.

Pandanus is known as the 'divine tree' in the Marshall Islands because of its important role in everyday life. In Kiribati, pandanus is called the 'tree of life' as it provides food, shelter and medicine.

There are many varieties of pandanus that can be eaten, some also have edible nuts. The leaves of pandanus are used for weaving and thatching and the wood for construction. The bark and flowers are used to scent body oils and the roots are used in making medicines, paintbrushes and rope. The fruit is made up of small individual pieces called keys that can be eaten when raw, and after being consumed the left-over keys can be used to make charcoal or to use as a paint brush.

Pandanus fruit is a valuable source of many nutrients, particularly for people living on atolls where only a limited number of food crops can grow due to poor soils and harsh dry climates. Pandanus contains significant amounts of vitamin C, which is important for fighting infection and for absorbing some forms of iron (needed for building blood). On some islands, eating 10 keys a day is very common, even among children. This would provide more than the estimated daily requirement of vitamin C for most adults or children.

Pandanus also contains significant amounts of provitamin A carotenoids, the most important of which is beta-carotene. Provitamin A carotenoids are converted in the body to vitamin A, which is important for good vision and eye health, and helps to fight against infection and build blood. Eating carotenoid-rich food may also help protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Most edible pandanus fruit turns from green to yellow and then orange when ripe. The keys of some tough varieties can be boiled or baked and then consumed, or the pulp can be removed and used in taro or other dishes.

Pandanus paste or sehnikun in kipar will keep for many years without refrigeration. Traditionally, the keys are cooked (boiled or baked) and the pulp is scraped out and then spread in a thin layer on a clean surface to dry in the sun for five or more days. The finished product is either rolled tightly and bound in pandanus leaves or folded and kept in an air-tight container. Dried pandanus was once an important food for voyagers on outrigger canoes, enabling seafarers of long ago to survive long journeys.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community Pacific Food Leaflet No. 6 on Pandanus is acknowledged for providing the information for this article.