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Brazil Nuts Are Peruvian
Hard to crack and delicious to eat, Brazil nuts are a favorite at Christmastime. More than good eating, the nuts are an important source of income for the people living in the rainforests of Peru. In fact, behind gold mining and forest production, they are the third major source of income for the city of Puerto Maldonado, located in the south-eastern corner of Peru.
Though useful as lumber, the Brazil nut tree is often the largest tree left standing in the forest because its' nuts are more valuable than the wood. The tree's round seedpods look like the pod inside of a coconut and fall to the ground in December and January. Each pod contains between 12 and 24 Brazil nuts, and a single tree can produce as many as 1000 pounds of nuts a year. The nuts are sold for food or for an ever-growing organics products market that uses Brazil nut oil for lip balms and skin lotions.
The tough shell prevents birds from eating the seeds before they ripen and are used by natives as candle holders. Only one species of insect, the englossive bee, is physiologically able to pollinate the Brazil nut tree's flowers. Once pollinated, the tree relies on only one animal for the dispersal of its seeds, the brown agouti, a small jungle rodent that collects the seeds and buries them in the ground for later eating. Luckily for the tree, the agouti either forgets where the hole is or returns after the seed has already germinated.
People have often tried to bury and germinate Brazil nut seeds without success. Apparently the agouti has a few well kept gardening secrets. Another example showing us how complex and fragile are the threads of nature.
The base of the Brazil nut tree is also a good place to find the deadly bushmaster snake which is perfectly camouflaged among the leaves as it waits for the agouti. For this reason, Brazil nut workers use a forked pole to pick up Brazil nut seeds off the ground.
So the next time you enjoy eating as Brazil nut, think of all that nature and the people of Puerto Maldonado have done to make that delicious snack available to you.
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