Ingredient: Brazil nuts
Category: Nuts
Season: All:
The Brazil nut tree is the only species in the genus Bertholletia.
It is native to the Guianas, Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia, eastern Peru and eastern Bolivia. It occurs as scattered trees in large forests on the banks of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and the Orinoco.
The genus is named after the French chemist Claude Louis Berthollet.
Brazil nuts almost exclusively produce fruit in virgin forests, as forests that are not virgin usually lack an orchid that is indirectly responsible for the pollination of the flowers.
Brazil nuts have been harvested from plantations but production is low and it is currently not economically viable.
The Brazil nut tree's yellow flowers can only be pollinated by an insect strong enough to lift the coiled hood on the flower and with tongues long enough to negotiate the complex coiled flower.
The orchids produce a scent that attracts small male long-tongued orchid bees (Euglossa spp), as the male bees need that scent to attract females.
The large female long-tongued orchid bee pollinates the Brazil nut tree. Without the orchid, the bees do not mate, and therefore the lack of bees means the fruit does not get pollinated
If both the orchids and the bees are present, the fruit takes 14 months to mature after pollination of the flowers.
The fruit itself is a large capsule 10–15 centimetres diameter resembling a coconut endocarp in size and weighing up to 2 kilograms.
It has a hard, woody shell 8–12 millimetres thick, and inside contains 8–24 triangular seeds 4–5 centimetres long (the "Brazil nuts") packed like the segments of an orange; it is not a true nut in the botanical sense
Brazil nuts are 18% protein, 13% carbohydrates, and 69% fat. The fat breakdown is roughly 25% saturated, 41% monounsaturated, and 34% polyunsaturated.
They are somewhat earthy in flavour.
The saturated fat content of Brazil nuts is among the highest of all nuts, surpassing even macadamia nuts. Because of the resulting rich taste, Brazil nuts can often substitute for macadamia nuts or even coconuts in recipes.
Shelled Brazil nuts soon become rancid.
The nuts are also pressed for oil.
Nutrition:
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, although the amount of selenium varies greatly.
They are also a good source of magnesium and thiamine.
Some research has suggested that selenium intake is correlated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer . This has led some commentators to recommend the consumption of Brazil nuts as a protective measure.
Subsequent studies about the effects of selenium on prostate cancer are inconclusive.
The nuts cannot be imported into europe in their shells, as the shells have been found to contain high levels of Aflatoxins, which can lead to liver cancer. |