Provenance of good health.
We've blogged about our Australia's Manuka Honey beekeepers, bees, our certified organic tea tree oil uses & benefits along with the Olive Gap young custodians of sustainability. This month we turn to the nuts we've chosen to feature on Naturally Northern Rivers Australia.
Let’s start with the small but mighty macadamia nut… our very own superfood that local indigenous people have treasured as a delicacy and traded between tribes as ceremonial gifts and a vital part of their dreaming stories shared millions of years ago…
Did you know macadamia nuts are native to rainforest regions of Northern NSW & Southern Queensland?
The diversity of Aboriginal people and their languages meant macadamia nuts have been known by many names including Boombera, Goomburra, Kendal, Gyndl/Jindill and Baphal’s nuts.
The high oil content of the nuts was extremely prized possessing many practical uses. Along with being a delicious treat, their nutritional value was maximized as sustenance for long journeys. The oil was used to bind the ochres and clay for face and body paints – a way to preserve clan symbols of the dreaming. No different to its use today, macadamia oil was pounded into flour, used for skin rejuvenation and mixed with plant extracts and botanicals to treat medical ailments. Lactating mothers ate the nuts that were just germinating, despite their bitter taste, as it was believed that the nuts contained a stimulant for breast milk lactation.
Small but mighty!
How did the current name come about? In 1858, the British botanist Ferdinand von Mueller, as the director of the Brisbane Botanical Gardens, gave the scientific name of Macadamia Intergrifolia to the tree – named in honour of his friend Dr John MacAdam, a fellow scientist and Philosophical Institute of Australia’s secretary.
Just a few insights to the core ingredient for our Avilla Farm skincare range, an important component for our Mindful Foods artisans and a source of powerful protein for our Australia’s Manuka Honey bees.
Stay tuned for more in the month of February as we dive deeper into the beautiful people behind our Avilla Farm!
