Macadamia nuts are a native food crop of Australia. The tree was first discovered in 1828 by a European named Allan Cunningham. The botanist, Ferdinand von Mueller gave the tree and seeds their scientific name in 1857. He named it after his friend, John Macadam who first described the tree and seed.
There are four different species of the tree. The integrifolia and the tetraphylla are the only two species that produced the edible raw nuts. The other species produce the seed; however due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, the raw seeds from those species are very toxic making them poisonous for consumption. The seeds from these trees have also been called queen of nuts, maroochi, queensland, bush, and bauple nuts.
The seeds are not produced within a few years of planting the trees. This particular evergreen does not begin bearing fruit for seven to ten years. Once the trees do begin producing they will continue producing for over one hundred years. The seeds have also been called other things such as maroochi and bush nuts, queen of nuts, bauple and queensland nuts.
William Purvis first introduced and imported the Australian native into Hawaii in 1882 in order to provide wind barriers for the sugar cane fields. In 1920 the trees were planted as crops and the seeds became a selling commodity and food source. The Hawaii based commodity crop quickly became internationally known and exported.
Fresh seeds have a very high moisture content and in order for the seed to be removed completely intact from the hard shell casing, it must first be dried. Once the moisture has been removed the seed shrinks away from the sides and it will come out in one piece. One way to tell if the seed has dried is to drop it and if you hear it rattle that almost always signifies it has dried and moved away from the shell walls. If the moisture content is still high, the seed remains affixed to the shell walls and is difficult to remove fully intact.
A fresh seed has a very high moisture content causing the seeds to adhere to the sides of the hard shell it is housed in. In order to remove the nut in one piece the moisture content must be depleted causing the seed to shrink away from the sides of the shell. One way to tell if the moisture content is down and the seed has receded is to listen. A seed will rattle inside the shell most of the time if the moisture content is down; however, sometimes due to the positioning of the seeds germination it will not rattle.
Most animals cannot consume the edible seed like a human. They can be toxic and cause health problems and most animals cannot crack the hard shell in which the seed is housed. The one animal that can crack the shell and is immune to the toxicity is the hyacinth macaws, better described as large parrots. The macaws that are kept in captivity are typically feed these nuts.
There are different uses for the macadamia nuts, they are not just yummy delicious treats. The trees can be used for decoration and protection, the seeds can be made into oils for cosmetics, skincare and cooking. They can also be used in polish wedding ceremonies. They are also a great source of fat and contain the highest amount of monosaturated fat of any known nut. The history of their arrival and development is interesting especially since they are native to Australia and were first discovered by a European. Learning and knowing this seed has been around and used for centuries makes their use and consumption even better.
There are four different species of the tree. The integrifolia and the tetraphylla are the only two species that produced the edible raw nuts. The other species produce the seed; however due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, the raw seeds from those species are very toxic making them poisonous for consumption. The seeds from these trees have also been called queen of nuts, maroochi, queensland, bush, and bauple nuts.
The seeds are not produced within a few years of planting the trees. This particular evergreen does not begin bearing fruit for seven to ten years. Once the trees do begin producing they will continue producing for over one hundred years. The seeds have also been called other things such as maroochi and bush nuts, queen of nuts, bauple and queensland nuts.
William Purvis first introduced and imported the Australian native into Hawaii in 1882 in order to provide wind barriers for the sugar cane fields. In 1920 the trees were planted as crops and the seeds became a selling commodity and food source. The Hawaii based commodity crop quickly became internationally known and exported.
Fresh seeds have a very high moisture content and in order for the seed to be removed completely intact from the hard shell casing, it must first be dried. Once the moisture has been removed the seed shrinks away from the sides and it will come out in one piece. One way to tell if the seed has dried is to drop it and if you hear it rattle that almost always signifies it has dried and moved away from the shell walls. If the moisture content is still high, the seed remains affixed to the shell walls and is difficult to remove fully intact.
A fresh seed has a very high moisture content causing the seeds to adhere to the sides of the hard shell it is housed in. In order to remove the nut in one piece the moisture content must be depleted causing the seed to shrink away from the sides of the shell. One way to tell if the moisture content is down and the seed has receded is to listen. A seed will rattle inside the shell most of the time if the moisture content is down; however, sometimes due to the positioning of the seeds germination it will not rattle.
Most animals cannot consume the edible seed like a human. They can be toxic and cause health problems and most animals cannot crack the hard shell in which the seed is housed. The one animal that can crack the shell and is immune to the toxicity is the hyacinth macaws, better described as large parrots. The macaws that are kept in captivity are typically feed these nuts.
There are different uses for the macadamia nuts, they are not just yummy delicious treats. The trees can be used for decoration and protection, the seeds can be made into oils for cosmetics, skincare and cooking. They can also be used in polish wedding ceremonies. They are also a great source of fat and contain the highest amount of monosaturated fat of any known nut. The history of their arrival and development is interesting especially since they are native to Australia and were first discovered by a European. Learning and knowing this seed has been around and used for centuries makes their use and consumption even better.
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