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, though it
has no relation to Olea; it is consumed in Vietnam (Vietnamese: trám
trắng, fruit quả trám), Thailand (where it is known as nam
liap (Thai: หนำเลี้ยบ), samo chin (Thai: สมอจีน) or kana (Thai: กาน้า)) and in China (simplified
Chinese: 橄榄; traditional Chinese: 橄欖; pinyin: gǎnlǎn).
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 (simplified Chinese: 橄榄菜; traditional Chinese: 橄欖菜; pinyin: gǎnlǎn cài), made from a mix
of Canarium album fruit and mustard greens, is commonly used as
a flavoring for congee and fried rice.
