Macadamia Nuts

Origins of the Macadamia Nut

Deservedly acclaimed as the “Queen of nuts’, the irresistibly delicious macadamia is Australia’s only indigenous, commercially grown food crop. According to legend, long before European explorers arrived in Australia, Aboriginal people would congregate during the months of Autumn and winter on the eastern slopes of Australia’s Great Dividing Range to feed on the seeds of two evergreen trees, one of which they called the ‘Kindal Kindal’ (Macadamia Integrifolia).

It was not until the 1850’s, when two British botanists, Ferdinand Von Meuller and Walter Hill, were struck by the majestic beauty of the two species growing in the rainforests of Queensland that the recorded history of macadamias began.

In 1858 Muller established a new genus, ‘macadamia’, naming it in honor of Dr John Macadam, MD, Secretary of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria. A distinction was then made between the two different species - ‘Macadamia Integrifolia’ (smooth shelled) and ‘Macadamia Tetraphylla’ (rough shelled). Consisting of a genus of at least ten species, it is only these two species that produce edible nuts. Although edible, the quality of kernel produced by Macadamia Tetraphylla is a lot more variable than the favored and widely grown, Macadamia Integrifolia.

Health benefits

Not only do macadamias contain no cholesterol, clinical tests now show that, eaten regularly (50-100g per day), macadamias actually lower your blood cholesterol levels by as much as 7.9% in just four weeks. Therefore this significantly reduces the risk of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) (Colquhoun et al, 1996). In this same study, the group regularly consuming macadamias over the four week period, also experienced a 10.7% decrease in Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL’s) and a 20.9% decrease in serum triglyceride levels.

Research done by Fraser et al in California also discovered that people who ate nuts five or more times per week were 53% less likely to die from CHD than non-nut eaters.

Monounsaturated Fats

A key ingredient in the well known and healthy ‘Mediterranean diet’, monounsaturated fats Macadamias are also high in the all important antioxidants, Vitamins E and A1. They contain the important B group vitamins Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin and essential elements such as Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, Magnesium and Potassium.

What does all this mean for you?

Eating 50 - 100g of macadamias each day is good for you! By replacing existing foods in your diet that are high in saturated fats, with macadamias you can not only enjoy their full rich flavour and unique crisp texture but you will also be helping to reduce your cholesterol levels and ultimately, your risk of developing CHD.

At Jeanette’s Cakes we use roasted whole Macadamia Nuts to make our delicious Honey Nut Nougat after the Montelimar style. Our Nougat is made from all natural ingredients and contains at least 36% nuts and 10% Honey.