Kimo's Advent Calendar:
Nuttiness in Door #23.
Macadamia Academia
The Macadamia Nut is found through out our expansive tourist cuisine here in Hawai'i and can be recognized as a salad topping, made into a butter, encrusted on fish, mixed in pancakes, baked in cookies and desserts, and served as an in flight snack on a number of Airlines servicing Hawai'i. The adored nut is not indigenous to Hawai'i but has become synonymous with contemporary Hawaiian culture and a major export commodity. The Holidays are when the chocolate covered "Mac Nut" is gratuitously given as a gift and it's difficult for anyone living here not to indulge in this popular Macadamia Nut in some form during Makahiki.
Although, widely considered "fatty", the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research found that 82.6 percent of the fat in macadamia nuts is monounsaturated, and this type of fatty acid is a benefit the cardiovascular system. The Journal of Nutrition in 2008 reported a study that compared the effects of two similar diets with equal amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrate. One group received the bulk of their dietary fat from macadamia nuts, while the other group got their fat from other sources. At the end of five weeks, both groups reduced their "bad" LDL cholesterol, but the macadamia nut group had significantly greater decreases in both LDL and total cholesterol. One oz. of macadamia nuts contains about 2.3 g of fiber and according to a 2007 article in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health, macadamia nuts are also a source of important trace minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, chromium, manganese and zinc.
On Dec 5th, this year as reported by the New York Times, The Macadamia Nut, was involved in an incident dubbed "nut rage". Apparently, a Korean Air Lines executive and daughter of the CEO, went “nutty” when her requested snack of Macadamia nuts were served to her in a bag and not on a plate, flying into a rage she ordered the flight attendant off the plane. The result was a strong boost in Macadamia Nut sales in Korea and the precipitous end to the career of the Airline Exec. The fruit, the macadamia nut, is somewhat of a rare delicacy and demand for this buttery nut far exceeds supply. Although native to the Australian rain-forests, Hawaii was the site of the world's first commercial macadamia plantations.
British grower and Hawaiian Sugar investor, William Purvis brought the first macadamia trees to Hawai'i around 1881 as an ornamental. He also introduced the invasive mongoose, his reasoning was that the mongoose would eat the European black rat that was infesting the islands, instead it consumes the eggs of endangered native birds. Had he done his homework he would have realized that Mongoose are diurnal, and rats nocturnal. Now we have a rat and a mongoose problem, but I digress. Today, 90% of the global supply of macadamias are grown in the Hawai’i nei.
The Polynesian staple crops brought by Hawaiian settlers 1500 years earlier and highly developed to support the food demands of nearly 1 million people had been supplanted by new crops brought by foreign immigrants including, rice, potatoes, and sugarcane. As resources and labor were being devoted to profitable “condiment crops” like sugar, Hawai’i’s dependency on foreign imports of food began. As an inevitable push created by plantation owners towards overspecialization in sugar, and eventually pineapple, The Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station was created; and set it’s sights on the development of new crops for Hawai‘i. This federally funded institution later combined with the research program in the University of Hawai’i agricultural college. The Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station named and introduced a selection of hybrid trees in 1948, which evolved into the modern macadamia industry in Hawai'i we know today.
Below are the “Hawaiian” Macadamia varietals created here in Hawai’i.
Keaau
Originated in Lawai Valley, Kalaheo, Kauai, Hawaii. Medium-sized nut, averaging about 80 nuts per pound; Kernel 42-46% of nut, color light cream, quality good.
Keauhou
Originated in Kona, Hawaii by W.B. Storey. Medium to large nut, averaging about 54 nuts per pound. Kernel 37 to 40% of nut, quality tends to vary in different locations.
Waimanalo
Originated at the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, Waimanalo, Hawaii. Large nuts, occasionally with twin halves. Kernel 38-1/2% of nut, flavor good, oil content 75%.
The desire to create new crops instead of utilizing what was already successfully grown here began a process of experimentation with a few successes and many detrimental effects. The Macadamia Nut is considered a success with no or few pesticides used with little negative environmental impact. However, certain offshore companies have been forcing out the smaller producers making it difficult for the local companies to survive. So please if you buy mac nuts, buy from the smaller local producers whenever you have an opportunity.
Please Support These Producers:
On Molokai -
- Purdy’s Farm on Molokai is 2 miles west of Kalapu’u on Lihi Pali Avenue.
The Big Island -
- Hamakua Macadamia Nut Visitor Center in Kawaihae offers free guided factory tours everyday from 8:00 to 5:00.
On 'Oahu -
- Tropical Farms . They offer a wide range of inventive flavored macadamia nuts for you to sample. They’re open daily from 9:30am to 5pm
Basic Mac Nut Facts:
- It takes approximately seven years for the macadamia tree to bear fruit.
- The fruit must ripen on the trees and is generally gathered by hand from August through June.
- Macadamia nuts are not picked from the tree but are fully ripened when they fall and are then harvested.
- Hawaii's approx. 700 farms and 8 processing plants and employ 4,000 workers.
- The Macadamia tree is related to the Protea family.
- Macadamia nuts have a very hard seed coat enclosed in a green husk that splits open as the nut matures.
- Inside the shell is a creamy white kernel containing up to 80% oil and 4% sugar. When roasted it develops a uniform color and texture.
Harvesting: Mature macadamia nuts fall to the ground from late fall to spring where fallen nuts are harvested. A typical tree will produce 30-50 pounds of nuts at 10 years age and gradually increase as it ages.
Harvested nuts are de-husked to prevent mold and spread in a dry place protected from the sun and allowed to dry for 2 or 3 weeks. When the nuts are dry, the shells can be removed with a nutcracker. Mac nuts have a particularly hard shell and it’s roundness makes cracking the nut a bit of a challenge.
Home Roasting Macadamia Nuts: place shelled nuts (whole kernels or halves only) in a shallow pan no more than two deep. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully and remove from the oven as soon as they start to turn tan. After roasting, the nuts store well, salted or unsalted, in airtight jars at 40° to 65° F. They can also be frozen. Macadamia nuts are excellent raw or roasted. In addition to being a quality snack, they can be used in almost any recipe that calls for nuts, including stuffings, fruit salads, cakes, etc.
White Chocolate MACADAMIA NUT Cookies
Servings: about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
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Preparation:
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Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
Happy New Year!
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