Macadamias are a tree nut originating from the coastal rain forests of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Originally ‘discovered’ by a german botanist, Ferdinand von Müeller in 1848, macadamias are still the only Australian plant domesticated on a commercial scale as a food crop.

These richly flavoured, nutritious, edible seeds are highly sought after in America, China, Vietnam and many other countries around the world, with South Africa being one of the major producers of macadamia for the world market. We saw plenty of evidence of their extensive cultivation while passing dozens of gorgeous macadamia orchards on a recent trip to the Kruger Park area.

As a foodie, I love learning about where our food comes from. We were fortunate enough to be taken on a tour of the Valley Macadamia and Premier Nut Factories in the Hazyview area in Mphumalangha.
Our heartfelt thanks to owner, Alan, and Zhenya (sales & marketing) for their hospitality and for the very interesting guided tour of their facilities.

Many of the images and information in this article were sourced from their website and have been used with their consent.

When buying food in local shops, we are seldom aware of the extensive amount of time and effort that has been invested by farmers in the production of food. The Valley Macadamia website (valleymacs.co.za) has extensive information on the production and processing of macadamia nuts if you are interested, but here is a snap shot summary:

Macadamia trees take 7 – 10 years to fully mature and start producing significant yields.

Bees play a vital role in the creation of these tree nuts, acting as the main pollinators. Research shows that strong bee activity in orchards can result in a 70% greater nut yield. Proper pollination by bees ensures better formed nuts with fewer deformed kernels or empty shells.

Green fruit mature into hard shelled nuts protected by a thick outer husk. As the nuts ripen, this husk splits open. The nuts are ripe and ready to harvest once they begin to drop to the ground.

Macadamia are harvested from March to September in South Africa. Because the nuts fall to the ground once ripe, they can be easily collected, either manually or using mechanical sweepers on larger farms. In large commercial orchards, mechanical harvesters are used to shake the nuts from the trees to facilitate easy collection. The outer husks are removed revealing the hard macadamia shell.

The nuts are then dried on special racks to reduce the moisture content which helps preserve quality and improve shelf life.

Due to their unique, tough shells, specialised equipment is required to crack and shell the macadamias while protecting the delicate kernel.

The raw nuts are next sorted and graded into various styles from 95% whole all the way to chips and even flour which is growing in popularity for use in baked goods.

During our tour of the Valley Macadamia Factory, we learnt that raw macadamias are supplied in two basic categories for the world market:

macadamia nuts are supplied, particularly to the Asian market, dried, often flavoured, in their shells. This caters for those customers who want to ensure freshness and experience the cracking open of their own nuts. The nuts are supplied with a slot cut in the shell to allow a screw type nut cracker to be inserted. Exporting this type of product results in enhanced long term storage and extended shelf life.

nuts are cracked and shelled to expose the kernel which is then sorted and processed for the convenience of consumers who value their delicate flavour and creamy texture.

The value added division of Valley Macadamias, Premier Nut, produce a variety of macadamia products including roasted snack nuts enhanced with various flavours, nut butter, nut flour, chocolate coated nuts, nut paste, and oil – both for culinary and cosmetic use.

A notable product that is growing in popularity is macadamia oil. Produced by cold pressing macadamias, which contain zero cholesterol, the resulting oil has a high smoke point of 210⁰ to 234⁰ C making it my oil of choice when pan frying food. Its subtle, nutty flavour enhances salads and it can also be used successfully in baked products.

Macadamias are a calorie dense food, which, when consumed as part of a balanced diet,can have significant health benefits.

Macadamia nuts are notable as they contain the highest quantities of monounsaturated fatty acids of any natural food, making them a heart healthy choice. This means that they help lower the LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol in our bodies and are linked to improved fat metabolism as they help burn fat more efficiently. The high healthy fat content and dietary fibre that they contain, promotes a sense of satiety, helps slow digestion and if eaten in moderation, ensures a steady release of energy for the body to use while improving fat metabolism in general.

Macadamias also contain antioxidants, like Vitamin E, which help fight oxidative stress in the body which are useful in managing inflammation.

Macadamias contain fibre which promotes regular bowel movement and supports healthy gut microbiomes. The fibre in macadamia acts as a prebiotic – feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut and so helps maintain gut flora balance.

Containing zero cholesterol, protein, vitamins and minerals, macadamia nuts make the perfect nutritious, satisfying, heart healthy snack when eaten in moderation. Grab a handful of macadamia nuts to help power you through your day!

Christine’s hot tip: store nuts (raw or roasted) in well sealed containers in the freezer to ensure freshness for months.

Our free recipe this month is for my truly addictive Macadamia, Dark Choc Chunk & Cranberry Cookies. These delicious cookies are the perfect marriage between decadent dark chocolate, creamy yet crunchy macadamia and tart cranberries. Let me know how yours turn out!

This decadent cookie combines the richness of dark chocolate with the buttery flavour and crunch of macadamia nuts, complimented by the chewy tartness of cranberries.

Warning: May be addictive ☺
Makes approx. 30 cookies