NUT FACTS​

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PECANS (MY FAVOURITE)

 

1. The name “pecan” is a Native American word that was used to describe nuts requiring a stone to crack.

2. The pecan capital of the world is Albany, Georgia, which boasts more than 600,000 pecan trees.

3. Pecan trees are native to North America and over 80% of the world’s pecan crop comes from the United States.

4. Pecan trees produce nuts on alternate bearing years – one year heavy, one year light.

5. The pecan pie was created by French people who had settled in New Orleans.

 

6. The pecan is heart healthy and contains antioxidants, 19 vitamins and minerals and healthy fat. One of the mineral components is zinc, which is important in producing testosterone in both males and females.

7. In 1995, Georgia pecan wood was selected by the Atlanta Committee to make the handles of the torches for the 1996 Olympic Games. The torches were carried in the 15,000-mile U.S.A. relay and in the lighting of the Olympic flame in Atlanta on July 19, 1996.

8. About 78 pecans are used in the average pecan pie.

9. Pecan trees can live to be over 200 years old.

10. One ounce of pecans provides 10% of the recommended daily fiber intake.

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WALNUTS

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1. Walnuts grow on trees with the scientific name ‘Juglans’, of which there are over 20 species, and they belong to the family Juglandaceae, the family of walnuts.

2. Walnut trees are deciduous and grow from 10-40 metres (32-131ft) in height, and can live for a few hundred years, bearing fruit (a green husk) which is not edible but do contain edible seeds, known as walnuts, which are encased in a hard shell.

3. Walnuts are generally dried for two weeks before they are stored or sold, and can easily become mouldy or insect infected if not suitably stored, and if this occurs, the whole batch of nuts must be discarded.

4. Walnut kernels have a bumpy texture, an abstract shape, and are typically a creamy brown colour.

5. Commercial walnuts are usually from Juglans regia trees, known as the ‘English’ or ‘Persian walnut’, and are popular because they have a large kernel and a thin shell, and the ‘black walnut’ is also available commercially, but not as common.

 

6. China and USA are the two biggest producers of walnuts, with almost all of the nuts in America, grown in California.

7. Walnuts are a good source of protein, folate and copper; a very good source of omega 3, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorous; contain the highest amount of antioxidants out of all the nuts, and have many beneficial health effects.

8. The US Air Force used to use ground walnut shells to clean parts of their aircraft until a Chinook helicopter crashed, causing deaths, due to the nut’s grit clogging up the machinery.

9. Walnuts can be eaten raw or with salad dishes, vegetable and fruit meals or snacks and desserts or used in baking, and sometimes the oil is extracted and used for various purposes.

10. Depending on the species, walnuts are native to various countries around the world, including Iran, North America and Japan.

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PISTACHIOS

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1. The Italians have always loved pistachios. In the first century A.D. Emperor Vitellius introduced Rome to the pistachio. Apicius, Rome’s 5th-century A.D. recipe book includes pistachios. And have you tried Pistachio Gelato?!

2. What’s in a name? That which we call a pistachio is known as the “smiling nut” in Iran and the “happy nut” in China. They’re also known as the “green almond.”

3. Better than a caveman diet. The nuts are also the original prehistoric snack! One of the oldest flowering nut trees, humans have eaten pistachio nuts for at least 9,000 years. Plus, pistachios are one of the only two nuts mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 43:11).

4. Where’s the green come from? Pistachios are the “colorful” nut, owing their green and purple hue to antioxidants.

5. Abide by the “Pistachio Principle.” Research suggests that as one of the only in-shell snack nuts, pistachios may help slow consumption and the empty shells offer a visual cue, potentially reducing calorie intake. A preliminary behavioral eating study suggests that in-shell snackers ate 41 percent fewer calories than those who snacked on shelled nuts. This effect is known as “The Pistachio Principle.”

6. Chock full of…nutrition. Pistachios are a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium, thiamin, and phosphorus. They’re an excellent source of vitamin B6, copper, and manganese.

7. Surprise relationships. Among its “kissing cousins”: pistachios are related to the mango and the spice sumac.

8. A queen-sized craving. Perhaps the original royal nut, the Queen of Sheba loved pistachios. In fact, she demanded that the entire region’s pistachio harvest be set aside for her.

9. Here’s to your heart. Scientific evidence suggests that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

10. Look out for inferior nuts. All pistachio shells are naturally beige in color. Some companies dye nuts red or green if nuts are inferior or for consumer demand.

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CASHEWS

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1. Cashew nuts are native to north east Brazil, South America, although they are now grown in many tropical areas around the world.

2. Cashew nuts grow on 10-15 m (32-50 feet) evergreen trees known as a cashew tree, from the family Anacardiaceae, which is the family of drupe bearing plants.

3. A cashew nut is a seed or kernel, 1.8 – 2.5 cm (0.7 – 1 inch) long, that grows in a kidney shaped fruit called a cashew drupe, which grows at the bottom of an edible accessory fruit called a cashew apple.

4. In 2010, Nigeria was the top producer of cashew nuts, producing 650,000 tonnes (717,000 tons).

5. Whilst in their shell, cashew nuts are surrounded by a toxic oil or resin similar to urushiol called ‘anacardic acid’, which can burn or irritate the skin, and so they are nearly always treated by roasting, boiling or steaming before they are shelled.

 

6. Some people are allergic to cashew nuts as they are to other tree nuts, due to the proteins in the nuts, however others are allergic to them due to the trace irritants similar to ‘urushiol’, which is in poison ivy pistachios and mangos, all of which are related to cashews.

7. Cashew nuts contain many vitamins and minerals, and are a good source of antioxidants and copper, the antioxidants having many great health benefits including decreased likeliness of getting cardiovascular disease.

8. The starch content of cashew nuts is approximately 23%, which is significantly higher than most other nuts, and makes them suitable for thickening sauces.

9. Cashew nuts are eaten ‘raw’ – these have generally been heat treated, roasted, salted and as a spread; added to main meals like salads, stir-fries and curries in the form of a paste, chopped or used whole; and are also used in desserts and cakes.

10. People who have a tendency to get kidney stones or have gallbladder issues may need to avoid or reduce their intake of cashews as they contain oxalates which can make the condition worse.

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MACADAMIAS

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1. ‘Macadamia nuts’ are also known as ‘macadamias’, ‘Queensland nuts’, ‘bush nuts’, ‘queen of nuts’, ‘maroochi nuts’, and ‘bauple nuts’.

2. Macadamia nuts are seeds that are from one of four species of macadamia tree, that are all native to Australia, in the eastern parts of northern New South Wales and southern and central Queensland.

3. There are two species of macadamia nut that are poisonous, but the toxin, cyanogenic glycoside (cyanide), can be removed by parboiling the nut.

4. Macadamia nuts have a very hard, woody, brown shell which reveals a cream coloured nut when cracked open, that turns golden brown when roasted.

5. Macadamia nuts became known to the British by Alan Cunningham, a botanist from England, who discovered them in 1828 in Queensland.

 

6. Australia is currently the top producer of macadamia nuts in the world, and the first trees grown, primarily for commercial purposes, were planted in an orchard in the 1880s, near Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

7. Macadamia nuts are cracked open when the nut is somewhat dehydrated, and to test for its readiness, the nut will usually rattle in the shell when it’s time, due to the nut growing smaller and detaching itself from the shell.

8. Macadamia nuts are very high in thiamine, manganese and fat, and also contain quantities of many other vitamins and minerals.

9. Some people are allergic to macadamia nuts, that can sometimes cause a fatal reaction, and they are also poisonous to dogs.

10. Macadamia nuts are traditionally eaten raw or roasted, as well as being grounded into butter, covered in chocolate and included in nut mixes and baked goods, and the oil from the nuts is sometimes used in skincare products.

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ALMONDS

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1. The fruit of an almond tree is called a drupe, which contains the seed – the edible almond nut.

2. The almond nut is native to Mediterranean areas of the Middle East.

3. The USA produced 1.41 billion kg (1.41 million tonnes) of almonds in 2010, followed by Spain with 0.22 billion kg ( 0.22 million tonnes).

4. An average almond nut measures 3.5-6 cm (1-2 inches) in length.

 

5. Normally, one almond nut is found in an almond drupe, but sometimes there can be two.

6. Almond nuts are usually eaten roasted or raw or can be ground and used for baking purposes, often as an alternative to wheat flour.  Almond butter, almond milk  and almond oil or other products produced from almonds.

7. Almond nuts are a high source of vitamin E.

8. Almond nuts absorb smell easily.

9. Almond nuts contains 28 nutrients.

10. The almond nut grows on a deciduous almond tree which fruits in Autumn.

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BRAZILS

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1. Brazil nuts are the edible nut of Bertholletia excelsa, a tree also known as a ‘Brazil nut tree’ or ‘Castanheiro do Para’ (Brazil), that are native to the South American Amazon forests.

2. Brazil nuts grow on the largest tree in the Amazon forest, that can grow up to 50 meters (160 feet) in height and has a tree trunk diameter of 1 to 2 meters (3.3 to 6.6 feet) and can live from 500 to 1000 years.

3. Brazil nut fruit grow in a large, round wooden pod, that are between 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 inches) in diameter, almost the size of a coconut, and weigh up to 2.2 kg (5 pounds).

4. Brazil nut pods contains 10 to 25 seeds that have a hard, triangular shaped exterior that protect the edible Brazil nut inside, which are arranged like orange segments, and are usually 4 to 5 cm (1.6 to 2 inches) in length, with the nut being slightly smaller, 3 to 4 cm (1.2 – 1.6 inches) in length.

5. Falling Brazil nut tree pods can travel at speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph), and as a result can be fatal to humans, or can easily damage things like vehicles, although the act of cutting down the trees is illegal because they are becoming endangered, even though trees are found on household properties.

 

6. Up to 113 kg (250 pounds) of Brazil nuts are produced each year from one Brazil nut tree, and each tree produces between 60 and 215 pods that take approximately 15 months to develop to maturity, which are harvested once they have fallen to the ground.

7. Brazil nuts are generally eaten raw and are a good source of magnesium, phosphorous, manganese, copper, thiamin and Vitamin E, and are a very rich source of selenium, an important antioxidant beneficial to the immune system and health of the heart, which is also said to hep prevent breast and prostrate cancer, with two Brazil nuts per day being sufficient to provide a human’s daily need of selenium.

8. It is believed that agoutis, a type of small rodent, are the only animal in the Amazon able to penetrate the 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) thick Brazil nut pod to access the nuts, which they eat, or bury in the ground for later use, although if the seed is forgotten about and the conditions are right, a new Brazil nut tree will sprout from it.

9. Purchased Brazil nuts generally come from undisturbed wild trees rather than cultivated ones, as there are very few Brazil nut plantations and they generally have a low production rate compared to wild trees.

10. It is possible to eat too many Brazil nuts, so eating no more than 2-3 per day is recommended, otherwise you may suffer from selenium poisoning, which can include, nausea, hair loss and fingernail damage and loss.

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PEANUTS

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1. Peanuts are a type of nut, or botanically a legume, that is popularly eaten across the world, and the plant species is native to South America and as such, the nut is a major part of the cuisine there.

2. The scientific name of the plant peanuts grow on is Arachis hypogaea, and it is from the family Fabaceae, the family of legumes.

3. ‘Peanuts’ are also known as ‘ground nuts’ and are sometimes called ‘goobers’ or ‘goober peas’.

4. The peanut plant produces yellow flowers, and after they are fertilised, the petals fall off, after which the tip of the stem heads towards the ground and buries itself to produce the nuts, or technically ‘seeds’, in a pod underground.

5. The mesh-like, textured brown pods of peanuts grow to be approximately 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) in length and while the nut is not a ‘nut’ by botanical definition, it is utilised as one in the food industry.

 

6. Although two is most common, between one to four creamy coloured individual peanuts can be found in a pod, and they are covered in brown to red skin that is easily removed; and the nuts usually darken in colour when roasted.

7. China produces the most peanuts in the world, with 17 million tonnes (18.7 million tons) in the 2013 period, of the total world production of 46 million tonnes (50.7 million tons); and while the United States only produced 4% of the world’s total that year, they are the most commonly consumed nut in the country.

8. Peanuts can be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, or salted, but they can also be ground into flour, or have oil extracted from them; used as an ingredient in baking, main dishes, or sauces; and commonly made into a paste to eat on bread or toast.

9. Raw peanuts are extremely high in manganese; very high in fat, niacin, copper, and folate; high in thiamin, vitamin E, protein, magnesium, and phosphorus; and are a good source of iron, potassium, zinc, fibre and vitamin B6, as well as containing other vitamins and minerals

10. Due to the high levels of a wide range of nutrients, peanuts have been used to feed malnourished people in times of famine; though the nuts can cause allergic reactions, as severe as anaphylaxis, and as such, many schools in some countries have banned consumption of the nuts at school.