Editing Beech (section)

===Food===
The edible fruit of the beech tree,<ref name="Lyle-2010" /> known as beechnuts or mast, is found in small burrs that drop from the tree in autumn. They are small, roughly triangular, and edible, with a bitter, astringent, or in some cases, mild and nut-like taste. According to the Roman statesman [[Pliny the Elder]] in his work [[Natural History (Pliny)|''Natural History'']], beechnut was eaten by the people of [[Chios]] when the town was besieged, writing of the fruit: "that of the beech is the sweetest of all; so much so, that, according to Cornelius Alexander, the people of the city of Chios, when besieged, supported themselves wholly on mast".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://interestingearth.com/how_did_beech_mast_save_the_people_of_chios.html|title=How did beech mast save the people of Chios? - Interesting Earth|website=interestingearth.com|access-date=2019-10-07}}</ref> They can also be roasted and pulverized into an adequate [[coffee substitute]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277203364 |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |author=[[United States Department of the Army]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=29 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}</ref> The leaves can be steeped in liquor to give a light green/yellow liqueur.