Canarium album is a tree species in the genus Canarium and the family Burseraceae, found in Indo-China; the Catalogue of Life does not record any sub-species.
Canarium album produces a fruit commonly called Chinese olive or white olive,[1] though it has no relation to Olea; it is consumed in Vietnam (Vietnamese: trám trắng, fruit quả trám), Thailand (where it is known as samo chin (Thai: สมอจีน) or kana (Thai: กาน้า)) and in China .[2]
The pulp of the tree's fruit and its seeds are edible, with a strong resinous flavor when they are fresh. Culinary oil can be extracted from the seed. Preserves can be made with the fruit, both sweet like jam or pickled preserves. In China, a pickle called olive vegetable, made from a mix of Canarium album fruit and mustard greens, is commonly used as a flavoring for congee and fried rice,[3] with Teochew people specifically being very fond of the pickle.
Mostly cultivated in Thailand, cultivation has been introduced on a smaller scale to Fiji and northern Queensland in Australia. Its fruit, resin and seed are exported to Europe where they are used in the manufacture of varnish and soap.[4]