Written By Sam Henselijn
Brazil Nuts, in recent years have become a hot topic among health and food groups. While they have popped up for years in holiday nut assortments, many people don’t know much about brazil nuts. From their natural buttery flavor to their abundance of essential nutrients, L’Orenta’s Natural Brazil Nuts are an excellent choice for people looking for a healthy and delicious snack. If you’re curious about what brazil nuts are, consider checking out this A Guide to Brazil Nuts that we have curated just for you.
What Is a Brazil Nut?
Brazil nuts aren’t your average nut! Normally, scientists describe nuts as hard fruits with a single seed. Brazil nuts are different because they grow in baseball-sized pods. Each pod can have up to twenty-four brazil nuts inside of it.
The brazil nut itself is a very large nut with an extremely thick
shell. They are almost the shape of a piece of orange. Don’t think that you can open these shells with your fingers like pistachios or peanuts! The shell is so thick that you can only get it open with the assistance of a nutcracker or hammer.
Brazil nuts taste a lot like macadamia nuts. They have a very rich flavor and can feel oily to the touch. Many people describe the texture of brazil nuts as smooth and buttery. They melt in your mouth into a pleasant nutty flavor. So not only are our brazil nuts delicious, but they have many health benefits and diverse uses, as well.
How Are Brazil Nuts Grown and Processed?
Believe it or not, brazil nuts do not only come from Brazil. They actually grow in all areas of the Amazon rainforest including Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Brazil nuts require a hot and sunny climate with much shade to grow. Because of that, the Amazon is a perfect cultivation site for them.
Most brazil nut trees grow in either Bolivia or northern Brazil. From December to March, professionals climb the massive trees to cut down the brazil nut pods. These trees can grow over two hundred fifty feet tall, so harvesting them can be extremely dangerous. Later, the harvesters bust open the pods with an axe to separate and process them.
Health Benefits
L’Orenta brazil nuts are packed full of nutritious benefits! Brazil
nuts are packed full of calcium, potassium, and magnesium. They are also full of good fats. Those nutrients and fats interact to help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, brazil nuts are so rich in those nutrients that you don’t have to eat many of them at all to see a difference. Just six brazil nuts offer 29% of your daily fat requirement.
Brazil nuts are also full of an antioxidant called selenium. Selenium is known for protecting against cell damages and infections. As an added bonus, it also helps metabolism functions! The brazil nut has more selenium in it than other type of nut. While most nuts only have 1mcg of selenium per nut, brazil nuts have 96mcg. That makes them an extremely good choice when looking for a small way to make a big impact on your overall health.
Finally, brazil nuts are rich in Omega-3s and Omega-6s, which is lacking in many Western diets. Omega-3s and Omega-6s are both linked to lowering the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and inflammation.
With so many health benefits, there is very little reason not to try eating brazil nuts as a snack.
How to Eat?
In most areas, brazil nuts are eaten directly out of the bag. They are also popular in holiday nut assortments. Don’t let that limit your imagination, though! In recent years, brazil nuts have become so popular because of health benefits that they can be found in a variety of dishes. They can be ground up in pesto, tossed into a salad, and even stir-fried with rice. Brazil nuts’ rich flavor shines the most in desserts. Next time you find yourself with a bag of our delicious brazil nuts, try cooking some of the following desserts:
- Brazil Nut Cookies
- Homemade Brazil Nut Butter
- Brazil Nut Turron
- Brazil Nut Shortbread
- Dark Brazil Nut Brownies
- Brazil Nut Brittle
How To Store
Brazil nuts have a very high fat content, so they require special care. Fat goes rancid when it is exposed to too much heat or open air for long periods of time. After opening a bag or container of brazil nuts, it is important that you put them into a resealable container. Make sure that the container is airtight!
Once the brazil nuts are put in a sealed container, they can be stored for several months in the pantry. If you want them to last even longer, keep the nuts in the fridge. Refrigeration can keep brazil nuts nice and tasty for over a year if no moisture reaches them. If you buy brazil nuts in bulk and want to keep them fresh for a year or more, place them in a heavy-duty container and freeze them!
What Are Some Fun Facts About Brazil Nuts?
- Brazil nuts can only be pollinated by the orchid bees, which have tongues longer than twice their body size. Orchid bees are the only insect in the Amazon strong enough to open the flower.
- The brazil nut’s outer shell is so thick that there are only two animals in the world that can crack it. Humans can open them using machetes and hammers, but it’s a type of mouse that can open them with their teeth.
- Brazil nuts can spoil because of their high fat content! Watch out for bitter flavors and shriveled textures.
- Brazil nuts is one of a very few non-meat foods that is considered a complete source of protein.
Brazil nuts are excellent if you are looking to add a few more nutrients to your diet or a new snack. Next time you might miss out on lunch due to a meeting, consider grabbing a few of these nutritious nuts to eat on your way.
If you find yourself looking for ways to incorporate more nuts into your diet, we hope you’ll look back at A Guide to Brazil Nuts. In the meantime, we’ll be grabbing another handful of brazil nuts.
Sam Henselijn Author’s Biography – Meet L’Orenta Nuts CEO
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