Aulnuts

Aulnuts are round, coarse-shelled nuts that grow from the epiphytic fledgevine. Once shelled, the foot of the seed is visible as a smooth, dark nib that resembles a beak, giving the nut the spurious appearance of an aul's head, perhaps inspiring the Twice-Departed Jin who named them.

Though it has a bitter flavor at first, the taste sweetens to some degree as the nut is chewed, and cooking can further reduce its astringency. Overall the taste is earthy with a hint of vanilla.

When powdered aulnuts are steeped in water and strained, the resulting liquid is a fair substitute for dairy milk, which is at a premium on Paperweight, and can be cultured to form kwefyr, a yogurt-like drink.