History of macadamia nut

The macadamia but tree (Macadamia integrifolia) originated in the rain forests of Queensland, Australia, and New South Wales.

Early British inhabitants learned about the macadamia tree for the native Australian aborigines. Aboriginal people are known to have held seasonal feats on macadamias which they called ‘boppal’ nuts near Gympie in Queensland, especially at Mt Bauple.

In 1828 Allan Cunningham was the first European to discover them. This species did not fit any previously established genera in that family, so in 1858 Ferdinand Von Muller established a new genus, Macadamia, naming it in honor of John Macadam, MD., secretary of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria.

The first macadamia plantation was established in northern New South Wales in the 1880s but difficulties encountered in cracking the tough shell thwarted development of the industry.

Macadamia trees were brought to Hawaii in 1882 for windbreak plantings and it was there in the 1930s at the University of Hawaii that the commercial potential of the nut was developed.

In 1910 the Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station began to encourage the growing of macadamia nuts. A large business grew up and began shipping the nuts to mainland America, but it wasn’t until after World War II that Hawaii exported large amounts of macadamia nuts.
History of macadamia nut