Dipteryx alata is a large, undomesticated, edible nut-bearing tree from dryish tropical lowlands in central South America belonging to the legume family, Fabaceae, from the Dipterygeae tribe in the Faboideae subfamily.

[4] The baru nut seed is a grain legume, growing in popularity in North America as a snack food.

[9][20][13][21] It occurs in the north in the states of Pará[13] and Tocantins,[13] in the west in Acre,[21] Amazonas[21] and Rondônia,[13][21] in the northeast in Bahia,[13] Maranhão,[8][13] Piauí[13] and possibly Ceará,[13] in the central-west in Distrito Federal,[13][21] Goiás,[13][21] Mato Grosso[8][13][21] and Mato Grosso do Sul[8][13][21] and in the southeast in Minas Gerais,[8][13][21] Paraná[8][21] and the Atlantic coast of São Paulo.

[8] It is found in the Amazon, Caatinga and central Brazilian savannah (called Cerrado in Brazil) phytogeographical regions.

[26] A tree will produce about 150 kg of fruit per harvest in alternating years, being pollinated by native bees.

Requena Suarez, an assessor writing for the IUCN in 2021, this species is vulnerable primarily due to its usage as timber and habitat loss by conversion of the Brazilian cerrado to intensive farming.

[1] It is listed under CITES Appendix II as one of the Dipteryx species with protections against trade in certain types of its timber products scheduled to be effective 25 November 2024.

The fruit matures shortly before the rainy season in the cerrado, which could range between June and October depending on its latitude.

Atypically among legume crop plants, baru seeds develop from a tree and are dispersed by animals, particularly birds, bats, and rodents.

Baru seeds are highly nutritious[38] and rich in: antioxidants (mainly tocopherols), protein, dietary fiber, omega-6, omega-3, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc.

Baru seeds should be served after heating through boiling, baking, or roasting, which deactivates a trypsin inhibitor enzyme.

In Canada and the United States, baru seeds are used as a snack and ingredient and are slowly being adopted as a peanut substitute.

[37] Baru nuts are growing in popularity as an individual snack, and as an ingredient in other food such as protein bars.

[41] This applies to proteins similar to allergenic ones present in peanuts, soybeans or peas, for example, bearing no risk of cross-reactivity.