All About Brazil Nuts

Just like the name suggests, these nuts come from - you guessed it - Brazil! Brazil nuts like to grow in tropical environments on on one of the largest trees in the Brazil's Amazon tropical rain forest that can live to be over 500 years old. The nuts and fruits themselves are also massive and can grow to weigh over 2kg! They are a great source of key nutrients such as selenium, which supports thyroid function and protects against infections, and calcium and magnesium, which work to keep your bones nice and strong. In Australia we have low levels of selenium in our soils, making eating selenium rich brazil nut a great idea. Just three brazil nuts each day will give you a great boost in selenium. 

While brazil nuts can be eaten raw, there's an incredibly hard shell around the edible part that needs to be removed before consumption. Because there is a lot of fat in these nuts, they can spoil fairly quickly, so it's best to eat them fresh in order to appreciate their sweeter, creamier taste. 

How to Use Brazil Nuts

Eating them raw isn't the most common - most of the time, you'll find them smothered in chocolate, baked into cookies, or turned into brazil nut cheese or butter. Yes, you read that right! Brazil nut cheese is a dairy-free cheese alternative and has about the same texture as parmesan cheese. They are a great addition to mueslis. 

Recipe Ideas

Chocolate Mousse slice on a Nutty Base

This is a healthily indulgent treat that is perfect as a bite with a coffee or as a desert with brush berries and cashew cream. Really whatever way you decide to eat it, this chocolate mousse slice is pure pleasure.

Cacao and Orange Bliss Balls

Recently one of my favourite farmers markets friends gave me a few coconut covered Cacao and Orange Bliss Balls to try. I do not think she realised but cacao and orange is my perfect flavour combo. This recipe is a slight variation of her adaptation of another recipe and is now one of my favourites.