The Brazil nut probably is the unique kind of dried fruit that grows exclusively in natural area, without being cultivated. The Brazil nut-tree is called Bertholletia excels, of the Lecyhidacea family, it is native of South America and in particular it grows up in the Amazon forest between Perù, Brazil and Bolivia. The Bertholletia excels is higher than 50 meters and produces big woody shells like a coconut that ripen between December and March (the rainy season). The rain swells the spongy epicarp that becomes very heavy and for this it falls down. After some days the microorganisms and the insects remove the spongy parts and leave only the woody shells. In nature the nuts can be opened only from a big rodent called Aguti. Each capsule contains 12-20 seeds that are the real Brazil nuts.

The Brazil nuts are picked up in the rainy season from the local pickers that move into the forest with their family for the harvest-time. Every picker has an area where he and his family can pick up the nuts, then they open it using a “machete” and carry the fruits to a harvest-point. The nuts are carried to the transformation factory (called “beneficiadores”) where they are dried and opened from the workers. Then the fruits are tinned and sent to Europe and to North America, but in Italy this kind of nut is not well-known. The Brazil nut is very rich in fats and for this it is used also to produce edible oil. Finally this nuts have a high content of mineral salts and of selenium.

Published 21 March 2017