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The Pistachio (Pistachio Vera)
The
pistachio is one of the oldest edible nuts being know for over 10,000
years. It originated in South East Asia and today the principal producing
countries are Iran, Turkey, U.S.A, Greece and Italy. It has a characteristic
green colour and the shell opens naturally at the more pointed end
which has attracted the name "smiling pistachio" in Iran.
They are mainly used as snacks (roasted and salted) and in confectionery/ice
cream.
The Almond (Prunus Amygdalus)
The
almond originated in Western Asia and gradually spread to the warm
and dry regions of the Mediterranean. Later it was introduced to California
where it has assumed great importance. The principal producing countries
are the USA, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
It is used in confectionery (marzipan, nougat etc) and also marketed
as a snack (salted).
The Pecan (Carya Illinoinenis, of the Juglandaceae
family)
The
pecan is the most important nut tree native to the North American
Continent. 95% of the world supply comes from N. America. There are
four main varieties, Stuart, Western Schley, Desirable and Native.
These account for 75% of the market product. The main market is for
decorating cookies, candies, cakes etc. and as an appetising addition
to snack mixes.
The Cashew (Anarcardium Occidentale)
The
cashew is indigenous to South America but was introduced as a soil
binding tree to the West Coast of India by Portugese traders in the
16th century. It didn't become important in international trade until
the early 1920's. The cashew is a multi purpose tree well suited to
poor sandy soils and thriving in areas unfit for other crops. It tolerates
high temperatures and drought but not colder poorly drained areas.
The cashew fruit consists of two distinct parts, a fleshy part called
the "cashew apple" with a brilliant yellow or red skin measuring 5-10
cm and a kidney shaped nut of grey/brown colour which hangs from the
lower end of the apple and from which the kernel is extracted. The
main product is the cashew nut, rich in carbohydrates and vitamin
A. The main use is as salted nuts in the snack food market. The principal
producing countries are India, Brazil, Mozambique and Vietnam.
The Walnut (Juglans Regia)
The
walnut, originally named in honour of Jupiter by the Romans, have
been recognised as the oldest tree food known to man. Sometimes known
as "English" walnuts in reference to the merchants who once
transported them around the world, historians prefer the name "Persian"
believing that walnuts originated in ancient Persia (Iran). Main areas
of supply today are California, China and India.
The Hazelnut (Corylus Avellana)
The
hazel, also known as the Filbert, was theoretically named after the
French saint Philibert whose holy day August 22nd corresponds to the
ripening of the earliest hazelnuts in England. They first appeared
in Europe after the Ice Age and reigned as the dominant vegetation
for thousands of years. Today this same hazelnut thrives in the costal
regions of the Black Sea in Turkey, The Mediterranean Sea in Italy
and Spain and the Pacific Ocean in the Northern USA, the common factor
being a mild marine climate.
The Macadamia
The
macadamia is a native tree of Australia which bears clusters of small
white flowers and round edible nuts. It was named after an Australian
chemist John Macadam (D1865). Commercial cultivation started in 1858
and was introduced to Hawaii in 1882. It is marketed as a snack and
in confectionery. The principal producing countries are U.S.A. (Hawaii),
Australia and Kenya.
The Brazilnut (Bertholletia
Excelsa)
The
brazilnut, also know as the Amazon nut, is truly a native of its only
growing area, The Amazon basin. All efforts to grow the tree elsewhere
(eg. Malaya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc) have failed because the brazil
nut is part of the complicated eco system. Only one type of bee can
pollinate the flower and this bee needs the Amazon forest to survive.
The brazil nut tree grows to between 30 and 50 metres and only in the
lighter and drier parts of the forest. The lower trunk is one and a
half metres in diameter. Flowering occurs at the end of the year and
it takes more than a year for the fruit to ripen and drop to the ground.
This nut is like a ball about 5" in diameter and similar to a coconut
which contains 12 to 21 nuts with the familiar triangular cross section
with flat sides and sharp edges packed together like a citrus fruit.
The brazilnut is rich in digestible fats, calcium, phosphorus, potassium
and vitamin B. It is marketed in both inshell and kernels where it is
used raw, salted and also in chocolate and other confectionery.
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