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Exotic, delicious, creamy, healthy, chocolatey, fragrant – these are all definitions of macadamia nut. The tree was first described in Australia. Local natives called it “Kindal-Kindal”, “Mullimbimbi”. However, the botanist Ferdinand von Müller gave the Australian nut its own name, macadamia, in honor of his chemist friend John Macadam.
What does macadamia look like and what does it taste like?
Макадамия представляет собой дерево или кустарник, в зависимости от сорта. Высоте деревьев — до 15 метров, редкие экземпляры вырастают до 40 метров. Крона образована раскидистыми ветвями. Листья ореха большие, гладкие, кожистые. Во время цветения розоватые или бело-кремовые цветы благоухают нежным сладковатым ароматом. Цветки собраны в колос, который опускается вехушкой книзу.
Spherical macadamia nuts are collected in bunches. Size – from 1,5 to 2 cm. The kernels are covered with a leathery shell of a greenish-brown color. The shell is hard, poorly separated from the core. The fruits ripen from March to September. In favorable areas, the crop is harvested all year round.
Вкус? Macadamia nut has a creamy chocolate taste, while it is slightly sweet and smells of vanilla. Due to this unique taste, he secured wide popularity and love all over the world.
Why is macadamia sweet? В составе продукта присутствуют сахара в размере 9% (4,43% сахарозы и 4,57% моно- и дисахаридов.), этим и объясняется, почему орех макадамия сладкий на вкус.
Macadamia is the rarest and most expensive nut in the world. Only 200 – 250 thousand tons of macadamia are produced per year. The cost of unpeeled nuts depends on the variety, the country of origin, therefore it ranges from 1000 to 1500 rubles per kilogram. The price per kilogram of purified kernels reaches 4000 rubles per kilogram.
Австралийский орех стремительно покорил кулинаров и гурманов всего мира. Ценители его вкуса отмечают День макадамии ежегодно 4 сентября.
Where and how does macadamia grow?
In fact, humanity might never know the taste of the Australian nut. The colonialists who landed on the coast of Australia began to actively clear the territory and destroyed about 80% of all macadamia trees. Only at the beginning of the 20th century, after the discovery of the valuable properties of nuts, efforts began to be made to restore plantations of unique trees.
Currently, the largest macadamia plantations are located in Australia, South Africa and Hawaii, where the nut was introduced at the end of the 19th century. Industrial cultivation of walnut began in the 70s of the last century. Modern technologies make it possible to grow exotic nuts in greenhouse conditions.
Certain varieties of macadamia are suitable for this:
Integrifolia.
Ternifolia.
Tetraphylla.
Growing evergreen macadamia trees is difficult. They like fertile, well-drained soils. Too much water harms the growth and development of macadamia. Plantations require careful care – nuts die due to weeds, parasites. An adult specimen begins to bear fruit from 7-10 years. The lifespan of a tree is about 100 years.
The harvested crop is placed in a special device, where the soft outer shell is removed from each nut with the help of rollers.
At the next stage, the macadamia undergoes pre-drying. It is necessary to remove excess moisture, which can cause germination, spoilage of the nut, and the appearance of mold. If this stage is ignored, the nuts acquire an unpleasant color, a bitter taste. Drying takes place in special chambers at a temperature of 25°C.
The next step is the main drying. In the chambers at a temperature of 35 ° C, the remaining moisture evaporates. After that, the kernel is completely separated from the hard shell, when the nut is shaken, a dull knock is heard.
At the final stage, the nuts are completely peeled or the shell is cut for ease of opening with a key. In industrial conditions, macadamia is split with strong, sharp blades made of an alloy of carbide and tungsten.
It is difficult to grow macadamia in a greenhouse or at home. Walnut needs high humidity, a constant temperature of +25°C. But even if all the requirements are met, it will not be possible to get fruits. It remains only to purchase the finished product in health food stores.
[Video] how macadamia grows:
Storage
If you opted for unshelled nuts, do not rush to remove the shell – so macadamia lasts longer.
In order not to spoil the most expensive nut, which means not to lose the money spent, follow these simple storage recommendations:
Sort and dry the macadamia.
Pour the nuts into a cloth bag to allow air to enter.
Store the bag of nuts in a cool and dry place to avoid mold.
Protect macadamia from sunlight so that it does not lose its healing properties.
Following these rules will keep the Australian walnut for a year.
Purified macadamia at room conditions is stored for up to 14 days. If you want to keep the kernels longer, put them in a vacuum bag and refrigerate. At temperatures up to +4°C, without access to oxygen, nuts are stored for up to 6 months.
Long-term storage of peeled macadamia nuts is facilitated by:
Герметичная упаковка (контейнер).
Dark place.
Temperature from 0 to 10 °C.
Periodically removing the kernels from the package so that they “breathe”.
Freezing ensures the preservation of the peeled madamia for several years.
Macadamia shell tincture recipe
Macadamia kernels are widely used in cooking. They have become a familiar ingredient in baking, chocolate, and desserts. The possibilities of the walnut are not limited to this. Macadamia gives a special taste and aroma to all kinds of tinctures. Consider the most popular recipes.
Shell tincture:
0,5 l of vodka (or moonshine).
Скорлупа от 5-8 орехов макадамии (около 50 грамм на 0,5 литра).
Sugar.
You can skip the preparatory stage if you don’t want to bother too much. In the original, you need to boil the macadamia shell in water with the addition of a tablespoon of sugar for 5 minutes. Boiled shells are taken out, allowed to dry. After that, they are placed on baking paper, and put in the oven at 250 degrees for just a few minutes, so that a pleasant aroma comes out. It is important here that they do not burn out, it is better to pull them out sooner rather than later.
Then – pour alcohol and close the lid. The bottle is placed in a dark, cool place for 14 days. During this time, the bottle is shaken at least once every two days. For an even larger and richer flavor, you need 1 days. After the prescribed time, the tincture is filtered through a double layer of gauze. The drink is ready to drink.
Если вы хотите получить более ароматный напиток, добавьте апельсиновых ноток. Для этого натрите цедру одного апельсина, смешайте её с 20 г сахара и 2 г ванилина. Напиток хорошенько встряхивают в бутылке и настаивают также 10 дней. Готовую настойку процеживают через марлевый фильтр.
[Видео] Рецепт настойки макадамии от Добровара: