Macadamias
Macadamias: an Australian story
Macadamias are native to the east coast of Australia, and they are famously hard to crack, so the choice of macadamia nut cracker matters. Here is where the nut comes from, then my honest test of seven crackers.
First, my story
Right from a little kid in Australia (at least in the generation before PlayStations), we climbed trees all over the neighbourhood. One tree common on the east coast between Sydney and North Queensland is the amazing macadamia. We loved the nuts for throwing at each other in war games, but not the spiky leaves.
When the nuts were in season and all over the ground under a big tree, it was heaven. Find a rock and smash nuts until your fingers bleed. Of course, these days kids are too precious to be allowed something as dangerous as a rock (sarcasm, in case you missed it).
I have had at least one fruiting macadamia tree in my yard for the last ten years or so. When the kids were bored and wanted the TV on, I would say, "When the sun is out, so the sons are out," and send them off to use their brains. One thing they learned to enjoy was hunting for macadamias.
That is my story. I would love to hear yours: post it on the Mixed Nuts Club on Facebook, where we talk honestly about things we care about.
Peter Johnson, inventor of the MaccaWakka
Two shells, not one
A macadamia has two layers of protection. First comes the green outer husk, and then the very hard shell inside it. The husk dries and splits as the nut ages on the tree, so by the time a nut falls it is usually much easier to remove, though it is still tough. Husking is normally done before the nuts reach the shop, which is why shop nuts arrive as hard brown shells.
The picture shows the Australian macadamia in its stages: in the husk, in the shell, and cracked.
Where do macadamias come from?
- Native to Australia. The genus is native to north-eastern New South Wales and central and south-eastern Queensland. It was an important bush food for the Aboriginal peoples who lived there.
- First recorded by Europeans in 1828, when Allan Cunningham found the plant near Bauple in Queensland. The genus was named Macadamia by botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1857.
- Other names: Queensland nut, bush nut, bauple nut, maroochi nut and, in Hawaii, the Hawaii nut. Early on it was known as the "Bauple berry" after the area where it was found.
- Hawaii and beyond. Australian seed was introduced to Hawaii in the 1880s, partly as a windbreak for sugar plantations, and Hawaii became the first big commercial producer. South Africa has been the world's largest producer since the 2010s.
- Global production was around 160,000 tonnes in 2015.
Facts above are drawn from public sources such as Wikipedia, as at 2015 for production figures.
Why a dedicated cracker?
Because a macadamia is a different animal to a walnut. The shell is hard and round, and the kernel inside is soft and fatty, so it shatters easily. A cracker that squeezes (a lever or a screw) has to get the pressure just right, and a lot of them do not. A short, sharp tap in a soft cup is a different way of doing it. That is the idea behind the MaccaWakka.
Peter's 7-cracker review
I got seven different nut crackers together and tried them on macadamias. Watch the video for the full review, then read my notes below. Prices are as quoted in the video and may have changed.
The silver croc macadamia nut cracker
I do not know where you could buy this, other than making me an obscene offer by email. As you can see in the video, it cracked the nut, and it looks good on the bar or your coffee table. All reasonable offers considered, but I really like it on my bar, so maybe some things just have no price.
Crack-A-Mac nut cracker
The Crack-A-Mac is probably the cheapest nut cracker on the market after a hammer. Unfortunately I think a hammer would be more useful at cracking nuts than this nut cracker. It looks pretty and would make a cheap gift, but it will most likely be in the bin 20 minutes after the first person tries to use it. This is not a good gift idea. It is cheap for a reason.
Price $10.95 ($19.90 on eBay). Search it on eBay for comments before you buy it.
When all else fails: the hammer
A hammer is the way I used to crack macadamia nuts as a kid. It is surprisingly effective compared to both of the screw-type crackers. The best thing about this cracker is that you probably already have one at home. By far the cheapest option, but no match for the MaccaWakka.
Price $7.25 from your local hardware store.
Aussie Mac Cracker
A well-constructed steel screw-type nut cracker. Unfortunately, like all of this type, the screw action is very slow, and after you screw it down you have to unscrew it for your next nut size. If you like nuts, you might starve before you get a feed with this one.
Price $23.95 plus freight.
CJ's nut cracker: the lever type
CJ's is a good nut cracker: strong, and certainly capable of cracking any nut, big or small. I really like the way it catches the nut shell in the tray after cracking. It is strong and well built, but it lacks some finishing touches, as the pins and mechanism are made from mild steel rather than stainless steel like the MaccaWakka.
After cracking just a few nuts, I got sick of pulling the big handle, which has a lot of travel just to crack one nut. I have children, and this product concerns me when it comes to pulling that big lever: if a child had their finger in the way, it would be crushed.
Price $99 plus freight.
Nut Buster
A good nut cracker, but the Nut Buster has a cheap-looking construction, with a wire pin to push the cracked nut out and a mild steel "nut" sitting on top that just looks ugly.
The MaccaWakka (my own, so take the score with a grain of salt)
Yes, I am marking my own homework, which is why the other six reviews are the useful bit. Still: if you are looking for a great nut cracker that looks good on your coffee table or the bar, you cannot go past the MaccaWakka. It is made from quality stained timber and stainless steel, it is adjustable for different nut sizes, and it will crack the Australian macadamia and, with the pin adjusted, other nuts too. It even cracks walnuts.
US$49.90 on Amazon US
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