Brazil Nuts?

Question

What do they call Brazil nuts in Brazil?
Also, why can you not get them in shells any more in the UK?

Answer 1

I'm sure the reason for Brazil nuts not be available in their shells any more, is because they can carry a certain type of mildew which is seriously poisonous.

I'm pretty sure its a health & safety issue. *sigh*

Answer 2

Despite their name, the most significant exporter of Brazil nuts is not Brazil but Bolivia, where they are called almendras. In Brazil these nuts are called castanhas-do-Pará, literally "chestnuts from Pará", but Acreans call them castanhas-do-Acre instead. Indigenous names include juvia in the Orinoco area, and sapucaia in Brazil. Though it has largely fallen into disuse since the latter 20th century, a common racist term for the nuts in some regions of the United States was "****** toes", due to some finding a similarity in appearance between the unshelled nuts and the toes of African Americans.

Brazil nuts only produce fruit in virgin forests, as forests that are not virgin usually lack an orchid that is indirectly responsible for the pollination of the flowers. The orchids produce a scent that attracts small male long-tongued orchid bees (Euglossa spp), as the male bees need that scent to attract females. Without the orchid, the bees cannot mate, and therefore the lack of bees means the fruit do not get pollinated. The Brazil Nut tree's yellow flowers can only be pollinated by an insect strong enough to lift the coiled hood on the flower and with tongues long enough to negotiate the complex coiled flower. The large female long-tongued orchid bee pollinates the Brazil Nut tree. If both the orchids and the bees are present, the fruit takes 14 months to mature after pollination of the flowers.

I'm sure in London, you can still find unshelled nuts, please check with Commercial Attache at the Brazilian Embassy
Embassy of Brazil in London
Commercial Section
32 Green Street
London W1K 7AT
T : 020 7399 9224
F : 020 7399 9102
[e-mail]

How for marketing reasons, people are lazy, and maybe the supermarkets, found that it was easier to sell unshelled Brazil nuts, like it's now difficult to find shelled peanuts.

I know that Selfridges are selling beauty products made from the nuts . Also maybe you should contact their food section, they have a great choice..

Good luck. For me Brazil nuts are the King of Nuts.

Answer 3

They are called 'noces de Pará '. Pará is a state in Brasil,
and the nuts are named for that area where they are produced.

Dont know why you cant get them in the shell anymore.
It could be a marketing issue (as many people like to eat more
than they like to shell) or whether there is some perceived pest concern related to the unshelled nuts.