History and Health Information about the Macadamia
The first macadamia nut seeds were brought to Hawaii from Australia in the late 1800’s. It was discovered that the islands soil and weather conditions provided ideal growing conditions. Each branch of the Macadamia tree produces sprays of 300 to 600 sweet scented white blossoms. Within each spray are two to ten nutlets that develop into spherical nuts encased in green fibrous husks, then a smooth brown very hard shells around the macadamia nut kernels. The shell of a Macadamia nut is the hardest shell of any edible nut. It takes a carefully applied 300 pounds per square inch of pressure to shatter the shell without damaging the kernel inside. Harvesting mature macadamia nuts is tedious and can be done by three methods: by picking from the ground by hand, shaking the tree and picking by hand, and picking with a mechanical harvester. Harvested nuts are husked, dried, and cured until the moisture is reduced to 1.5 percent, helping to separate the kernel from the shell. Hawaii's harvest of macadamia nuts brings in over 40 million pounds a year. The largest plantings are on the Big Island, followed by Maui, Oahu and Kauai. 
          

Macadamia Nut branch with flowers, leaves, and developing fruits visible.	Close up of Macadamia Nut Leaf. Notice the sharp thorny like edges.

 

Macadamia nuts are delicious and healthy. They are comprised of protein, carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. The nuts contains some Vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium and iron. Macadamias have about the same number of calories as other nuts. The nut as well as the oil can be used in many recipes such as in salad oils, in baking, for sautéing vegetables, and in preparing fish. Macadamia nuts and macadamia nut oil are recommended for cooking by nutritionists because the nuts are rich in monounsaturated oils, like canola and olive oils. Monounsaturated oils lower harmful cholesterol and raise beneficial cholesterol to help prevent heart attacks. Polyunsaturated fats, from macadamia nuts, fish and vegetables, stick to high-density proteins (HDP), which clear cholesterol from blood vessels.


You are able to view all of the delicious macadamia nut treats availble for shipment from Hawaii to any destination in the USA on this page! To view them all on one page choose the 40 per page option below.