Salted,
roasted, covered in chocolate, or simply raw there’s a lot this native Aussie
nut has to offer. It’s not surprising that macadamias are topping the charts
for 2019 top food trends and they’re appearing everywhere! From macadamia milk, macadamia butter, macadamia skincare and even macadamia
‘nutballs’ with spaghetti, this Aussie nut is
hard to miss (click for the recipes!)
Whilst we all love them, there’s very little
Australians actually know about them (beyond the fact that they’re
delicious, of course). If you were already surprised by the ‘native’ in the
title, then the below quirky listicle from Australian Macadamias is sure to be a fascinating read.
Record Breaking 2019: This year, our busy macadamia farmers are expected to produce 53,000 tonnes of tasty in-shell macadamias, topping the record-setting 2018 harvest!
Native to Australia: Australian Macadamias are native to the rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. That makes them over 60 million years old, and they have been precious for just as long. Aboriginal tribes living in these areas used to use them for gifting and bartering.
Old by nature: Macadamia trees can take up to 10-12 years to grow their first nuts. Luckily, once they get started, they can produce beautiful macadamias for over 100 years!
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Australia produces more macadamias (30% of the world’s supply) than any other country.
Little nut, big jobs. Australia has over 750 macadamia growers who look after 6 million trees and grow over 40,000 tonnes of macadamias yearly.
Tough Nutter: Macadamias are the world’s toughest nut to crack, and the Hyacinth macaw parrots are one of the very few animals with the beak-power to crack them!
Pamper Time: Macadamia nut oil is lightweight and easy for the skin to absorb, making it an incredibly nourishing, natural moisturiser.
Waste Not: Although they have been reused on farms as compost for decades, in recent years the shells have begun to be used in everything from green electricity to high-end homewares.
Vegan’s Best Friend: Macadamia oil boasts a wonderfully smooth, buttery flavour, and is great for roasting, baking and deep-frying. But did you know it can also be used as a substitute for butter when baking? The advice is to substitute at a 3-to-4 ratio, if the recipe says one cup of butter, replace it with 3/4 of a cup of macadamia oil.
They’re
Everywhere: Macadamia nuts
are not only delicious; they are also extremely versatile. They are a nut that
can be found in more than seven aisles of the supermarket. From beauty
products, chocolate, baking, snack bars, whole nut, breakfast cereals and ice
cream.
