Plural of nopa . It is one of the common names for the fruit of the balu tree, also known as chachafruto. Other names given to this legume tree are mompás, bucare mompás, sacha bean, mompás bean, pisonay, balsui, baluy, balú, hemp, mompás or pajuro. It's a great food. Its scientific name is Erythrina edulis and it belongs to the Fabaceae family.
NOPAS balu or chachafruto, legume of high protein content, being a human and animal food. Of this tree bean, the legend of the indigenous people of the Sibundoy Valley stands out, who suffered a famine between 1910 and 1915 because they ran out of corn. The chachafruto was their salvation because, in addition, they did not have problems of shortages, because this species produces pods all year round. The grain, the size of which reaches on average five centimeters long by 2 . 5 centimeters thick, contains 21 percent protein, 51 percent carbohydrates. For human consumption it is necessary to cook it, and even, animals prefer it like this. The protein of chachafruto is of better quality than that of common beans, lentils, beans, chickpeas, peas and other legumes, except for soybeans, although this is considered an oilseed for its oil content. It can be prepared in sancocho, roasted on coals, baked, in sweet or salty cake, in cream, custard, juice, colada, sweet, arequipe, salad, chicha, poteca, arepas and chachafritas, that is, sliced similar to the potato chip
