At Ayoub’s Dried Fruit & Nuts, we are nuts about nuts and love to learn new facts about the products we sell. Here are ten fun facts that we bet you didn’t know about the humble macadamia nut - but first if you're really curious about this wonderful nut you may want to read our post on Everything You Need To Know About Macadamia Nuts.

• Macadamia Nuts Grow On Trees But Are Picked From The Ground

While macadamia nuts may grow on trees, they aren’t harvested from up in the canopy. When they are ripe, macadamia nuts fall to the ground, where they are picked up by hand or by machine. 

• Macadamia Nuts Are The Most Expensive Nut 

When it comes to price, macadamia nuts are one of the most expensive nuts in the world! This is because macadamia nuts are in high demand, the macadamia tree can take many years to bear fruit, and macadamia nuts require a lot of laborious processing. 

• Macadamia Nuts Are Nicknames ‘The King Of All Nuts’

In some parts of the world, you may hear macadamia nuts referred to as the king of all nuts. While the root of this nickname isn’t clear, it could be because macadamia nuts often come with a premium price tag or because they are revered as one of the tastiest nuts. 

• Macadamia Nut Shells Are Some Of The Toughest To Crack

There’s a reason why macadamias aren’t often sold in their shells. Macadamia nut shells are one of the toughest shells to crack, requiring 300lb per square inch to break. By the time you’d got into the macadamia nut, you’d be too tired to eat it!

• Macadamia Nuts are Mostly Fat

Macadamia nuts are approximately 80% fat, making them a great nut to eat on the keto diet. While this does make macadamia nuts very calorie-dense, it’s important to remember that macadamia nuts are made from good fat, which can actually lower your risk of heart disease and lower levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. 

• Macadamia Nut Trees Can Live for 100 Years

It takes approximately 5-8 years for a macadamia tree to start producing macadamia nuts. Once mature, macadamia trees will produce nuts for many years and can live to be 100 years old!

• Macadamia Nuts are Toxic to Dogs

Unfortunately, your four-legged friend will never get to experience the delight of a fresh macadamia nut because macadamia nuts are highly toxic to dogs. When ingested by dogs, macadamia nuts can cause vomiting, lethargy, and weakness which if left untreated can be fatal. 

• The Hyacinth Macaw is Strong Enough to Break Into Macadamia Nut Shells

Because macadamia nuts have such a tough shell, most predators can’t get into them. However, the Hyacinth Macaw has such a strong beak that it can break into macadamia nut shells to eat the tasty kernel within. Hyacinth Macaws are native to central and eastern South America and have a distinct violet plumage. 

• Macadamia Nuts Took Their Name From A Scottish Chemist 

The macadamia nut tree is native to the Australian rainforest but takes its name from a Scottish-born chemist, John Macadam. John Macadam was the first person to cultivate the macadamia tree. 

• Macadamia Nuts Are Also Known as Queensland Nuts

Macadamia nuts are native to Australia, specifically Queensland in the northeast region. For this reason, they are also known as the Queensland Nut.