Going Nuts!

Brazil nuts are not always from Brazil. This expensive nut only grows in the rainforrests of the Amazon basin. In fact, Bolivia has more production than other South American countries. I guess Bolivia nut just doesn't have the cachet of Brazil nut. The nuts are harvested by hand after they fall from the tree. The trees grow up to 150 feet in height and 6 feet in diameter. The harvest is often carried out by migrant workers called castanheiros. Armed with a machete, reinforced plastic bags, and keen eyesight, they scour the jungle floor for the fallen nut.

The Brazil nut that falls from the tree is about the size of a grapefruit. It sorta looks like a small coconut. The nut that we see in that can of mixed nuts or in a bowl at holiday times, is actually inside this casing.

Good castanheiros use the machete to open the exterior shell, usually with one strike. I gave it a try and after 5 or 6 attempts handed the machete to our guide, Paul. I think I was more concerned about my bare toes than I was about opening the nut's exterior covering.

Restraining his amusement, Paul opened the nut in one attempt. It was his machete and he was wearing shoes.

Inside the exterior shell, the nuts are clustered together like the segments of an orange. Once the outer shell is opened, the individual nuts can be dislodged with some vigorous shaking.

Paul removed the seed covering/shell of the nut with, what else, his machete. The nuts had a richer taste than any that I have purchased at home. Maybe it was because we had picked up the Brazil nut on a walk through the jungle that morning.

Take note of the lack of blood on the nut that Paul shelled. I opted not to try to peel the shell off with the machete. I did try one with my Swiss Army knife. Mine was bloodless, too, but most of the meat stayed on the shell.