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| Category: Seeds and nuts |
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Brazil Nuts | ||
 Brazil nuts are actually the seed of the tree. They grow in 4 to 6 pound pods about the size of a man's hand. One pod contains up to 30 seeds or nuts. Collectors must wait until the pods drop to the ground to gather them; a hazardous occupation since the force of a pod hitting the ground could kill a man.Bedemco is one of the largest supplier of Brazil nuts to the North American market, and the only supplier to offer new types and cuts of Brazil nut products. A cream nut is one of the several historical names used for Brazil nuts in America. A mature tree can produce between 250 and 500 pounds of Brazil nuts per year. Origin: It is native to the Guiana's, Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia, eastern Peru and eastern Bolivia. History: For centuries, Brazil nut trees have grown wild in the Amazon forest of South America. Many indigenous tribes, like the Yanomami, used the nuts to supplement their diets, and the oil and husks for a variety of other purposes. The Portuguese and the Spanish introduced Brazil nuts to Europe in the 1500s, when the nuts were used for expeditionary rations and sent back with other New World discoveries. The Spanish called them "almendras de los Andes" - almonds of the Andes. It was a German botanist-explorer, Alexander von Humboldt, who upon returning from a five year expedition collecting and cataloging thousands of plants in the late eighteenth century gave the nuts their name, Bertholletia excelsa, after his friend the chemist Claude Louis Berthelot. Nutrition Fact: Brazil nuts are 18% protein, 13% carbohydrates, and 69% fat. The fat breakdown is roughly 25% saturated, 41% monounsaturated, and 34% polyunsaturated. Brazil nuts are a good source of magnesium and thiamine. Other Uses: Brazil nut oil is also used as a lubricant in clocks, for making artists' paints, and in the cosmetics industry. The timber from Brazil nut trees is of excellent quality, but logging the trees is prohibited by law in all three producing countries .Illegal extraction of timber and land clearances present a continuing threat. |