Raw Medium Brazil Nuts
These Raw Medium Brazil Nuts are the epitome of the three-sided nut that is native to South America. Packed with nutrients and boasting a rich, earthy flavor, these nuts are perfect for snacking or using in a recipe.
Suggested uses
Basic prep
Ready to use.
Storage & handling
Store in cool, dry place.
Ingredients
Brazil Nuts. Contains tree nuts.
Brazil Nuts are harvested from the fruits of the enormous Brazil nut trees (Bertholettia excelsa) on which they grow. The trees have yet to be cultivated on a commercial scale anywhere but in Brazil, although enough trees grow wild throughout the Amazon River basin that the wild fruits and their seeds are collected as a cash crop in several South American countries including Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela and others.
The fruit of the Brazil nut tree is a large round globe (called "ourico" in the native language) with a thick, woody shell which looks quite a bit like a coconut. They grow high up in the upper reaches of Brazil nut trees which can top out at over 150-feet tall. Brazil nut trees lack lower branches so they are not easily climbed to gather fruit. Instead Brazil nuts are gathered from fruit which has ripened and naturally fallen from the tree. However this process is not without its dangers, as those collecting fallen fruit must sometimes dodge additional 5-pound fruits falling from the high up in the trees. Ourico are not gathered on windy days as the consequences of being hit by a falling fruit is simply too risky.
Inside each woody outer shell grows 8 to 24 seeds (the Brazil Nuts). These nuts, each with its own hard shell, fit together like the segments of an orange, which explains their curved, 3-sided shape. The nuts are held in place by fibrous membranes but as they ripen the membranes shrink and the seeds are free to rattle within the outer shell. The individual nuts are sold either in their shells or, as these are, with their shells removed.
Nutritionally Brazil Nuts are a good source of protein and minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium and selenium. They are a rich source of polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E and thiamin. The Brazil Nuts also contain as much as 65% oil (by weight) and are sometimes collected specifically to harvest the light amber-colored oil for use as a salad oil.
The flavor of Brazil Nuts is typical of larger nuts, pleasantly rich, but mild. They are prized for their delicate texture and remarkably large size. These Brazil Nuts have been responsibly
harvested from fallen fruit in the Amazon River basin. Once shelled they are quickly packaged to preserve their flavor and freshness, but they are neither roasted nor salted.