Brazil nut

Bertholletia excelsa · Nut

40 pairings

The Brazil nut is the large, oil-rich seed of Bertholletia excelsa, one of the tallest trees of the Amazon rainforest. Creamy, buttery and faintly sweet, it is eaten raw or toasted, and it is famous on two counts: it is the richest common dietary source of the trace element selenium, and it is almost entirely wild-harvested from intact standing forest rather than farmed.

Picking a good onedrag

Fresh, waxy, ivory-creamRancid or mouldy

Sound and waxyThe all-rounder: toast, chop through grains and salads, grind to butter or a crust. A major tree-nut allergen, so say so when you serve it.Everyday best

The kernelCream still and sound, but matte, the sheen gone

Break oneFirm, the break a shade softer and duller

SmellFaint and buttery, close to nothing at all

What to look for, from fresh, waxy, ivory-cream to rancid or mouldy.

Preparing