Top 10 Most Expensive Nuts In The World (With Pictures)

Chestnuts

There is hardly any person who doesn’t love to eat nuts. Nuts or dry fruits however you say are something you must keep in your routine for a healthy diet. Eating a handful of nuts in every morning will boost your immune system turning your body fit for fighting all diseases. 

Don’t go with the myth that nuts can put on extra body weight. Let me tell you that nuts are packs of all the vital nutrients, high protein, dietary fiber and good fats to aid you loosing weights instead. Nothing could be the alternative of nuts to keep a balanced diet. That’s why I think you must read this article to explore the world’s most expensive nuts.

Hazelnuts

Price:- $.61-$.91 per pound

Hazelnuts

The first expensive nut we are going to discuss is hazelnut. Did you ever try to find out the secret behind the muddy aroma of Nutella? Well this sweet, nutty, mouthwatering flavor comes from these exotic hazelnuts.

This is also called as ‘cobnut’ or ‘filbert nut’. Turkey, Italy, Spain and U.S. are the major cultivars of hazelnuts. But Turkey is the biggest supplier growing 75% of the world’s hazelnuts. Again China became the main importer of America’s hazelnuts. This nut popularly grows in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. 

It’s quite common in confectionery and chocolate industries. People widely use hazelnuts while baking pieces of bread, cookies, muffins and brownies etc. because of its unique flavor and buttery texture. Giresun and Levant are two Turkish categories for hazelnuts differing in their fat percentage. Giresun is accepted as premium quality.

The strong-flavored hazelnut oil is also quite known for cooking. In fact, the flavor is boosted high after roasting being distinct among other nuts. People love this nut for its crispy and creamy combination.

There is a popular myth that hazelnuts can treat your baldness and even used as medication in the ancient times. It’s also believed as a symbol of fertility and wisdom. Health benefits are also quite noticeable containing good amount of vitamin E and other vitamins, protein, fats and many nutrients. The kidney and heart patients are mostly benefitted after consuming this nut.

These nuts are small, round with a pointed tip and are sold as shelled or without shelled. The price is quite reasonable that you may certainly keep in your daily diets.

NINE

Pistachios 

Price:- $2.00-$2.50 per pound

Pistachios

If you are an ice-cream lover, you must be familiar with the taste of this nut. These green, mild-flavored and slightly sweet nuts are much common in kulfi, spumoni, pistachio butter, pistachio paste and confections. You can have roasted or salted form of this nut in your shop. But I think the salted nuts are less flavored due to salt-masking. 

You may be surprised to know that pistachios are being consumed since 7000 BC. Now it’s mainly produced in Iran, U.S., Turkey and China.

These nuts are called pack of power as they contain healthy fats, protein, fiber, vitamin B6 and antioxidants which are good for your heart and eye health.

There are some reasons why pistachios are little bit expensive. It takes almost 20 years for a pistachio plant to start yielding production and can’t be harvested in every year. During harvesting the farmers select and sort all the nuts by hand to remove the molded and bitter nuts. Thus the availability is poor while the demand is high.

Pistachios are small but so tender and tasty that you may love to eat a lot of nuts at a time. Be careful because these nuts have pretty high calories to put on your health. So I suggest buy the shelled-pistachios so that you have to spoil some energy to crack the hard shell first to taste.

EIGHT

Pecan 

Price:- $ 6.99 and up per pound

pecan

Next, we are going to know about is pecan. First, you decide how would you pronounce the name of this nut-pecan or pee-kahn or pi-kahn or pee-kan? This is the only nut native to North America and grows commercially in 15 states in the Southern U.S. Georgia is the state in U.S. where the highest amount of best quality pecans are produced by Hudson family for over 150 years. Thus United States has 80% production of pecans of the whole world.

Pecans are compared as one of most antioxidant-rich food in the world. All the essential vitamins and minerals are present in pecans. Experts say it helps you to increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol. 15 halves of pecans act as a good supplement for vegetarians to meet their need of protein. 

Pecan means ‘a nut that requires a stone to crack’. This pinkish-brown, hard-shelled nut is mostly used in preparing pecan pie. The distinct flavor of this nut makes it favorite in cooking many sweet dishes. This is quite ideal for your keto diet.  Let me tell you that astronauts even took pecans with them in the space missions. 

Here you can have a pound of hard-shelled pecan on $6.99 and paper-shelled pecan on $7.49. There is pecan with no shell costing $13.99 per pound.

SEVEN

Brazil Nuts 

Price:- $7.30 per pound

Brazil Nuts

These are not actually true nuts. They are edible seeds and grow in one of the largest and longest-lived (500 years) trees in the Amazon rainforest. Though they are called Brazil nut, 50% Brazil nuts of the world grow in Bolivia. Besides they also come from Brazil and Peru. These are native to South America. 

Almost 12-20 nuts are segmented inside the round, coconut-like nutshell and weights up to 2 kg. These wild nuts are less consumed by people. Europe already restricted the consumption of this nut with shells as the nutshell contains aflatoxins which may cause liver cancer.

Well, Brazil nuts are good compositions of essential micronutrients and bioactive compounds. The most spectacular fact is its highest content of selenium, an antioxidant preventing cancer. You can eat maximum 1-3 nuts safely to meet your daily need but over-consumption may lead you to death being so carcinogenic. These nuts are well known to treat thyroid disorders. You may try once these radioactive nuts.

SIX

Walnuts

Price:- $8.50 per pound

Walnuts

This ‘Brainfood’ can control your emotions. It looks like a mini-brain and the shape resemblance with a human heart. The health benefits are too high that people love to keep walnuts in their daily diets ignoring the high price.

Walnuts grow in the oldest Juglan tree and mostly produced by China and U.S. The most common varieties of walnuts are English walnuts and Black walnuts available in both shelled and de-shelled forms.

The fully matured fruits are harvested to collect the wrinkled walnut shells containing the off-white, thin, brown, skinned kernels. The kernels have a mild, palatable, sweet flavor with a crispy and creamy consistency. The black variety from Missouri has much better unique, rich taste and flavor.

Walnuts are rich sources of high antioxidants, omega 3 fat with 65% fat and 15% protein. Health experts suggest to intake seven whole shelled nuts per day as a diet supplement. Again nothing is good when you eat too much. 

Walnuts are pricey as it’s rare to manage. Still you may not want to miss them during garnishing your snack items such as ice-cream toppings.

FIVE

Cashew Nuts

Price:- $ 8.95 per pound

Cashew Nuts

Well, Cashew nuts ranked fifth in terms of cost in this list. Before you read more you must know some interesting facts about this nut. Cashew nut is native to Brazil, popular in India and sold in the whole world. It’s too common in India that their celebrations remain incomplete without cashew nut desserts. Portuguese named it as ‘kaju’ which is now getting used in Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisines.

Cashew nuts are grown in cashew apple-producing trees. The cashew apple is not a real fruit and a single seed is attached at the bottom of each apple which is actually the cashew nuts. According to 2017, Vietnam, India, Ivory Coast are the top producer of cashew nuts in the world. 

This kidney-shaped nut is mostly used in preparing yummy desserts, cheese, butter and garnishing sweet dishes. People consume both raw and roasted cashew nuts which are so crunchy and delicious. These nuts are always found in shells but the shells possess resin which is very harmful. 

The health contents in cashew nuts include healthy fatty acids, 100% daily copper need and a lot of vital nutrients being perfect for vegetarians. 

However, the price is pretty high due to the processing of labor. Each nut is processed by hand separately to bring the best input.

FOUR

Chestnuts 

Price:- $ 10.99 per pound

Chestnuts

You must be heard the famous Christmas song ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire’. Yes we are talking about chestnuts which are quite famous in America, Europe and Asia. It’s native to Northern hemisphere and people are consuming this since 4000 years.

 Did you ever try any of this chestnut? The best chestnuts are American chestnut from Michigan, Chinese chestnut, Japanese chestnut, European chestnut and Chinquapin. Though China is the biggest supplier of chestnuts, Sicilian chestnuts are highly expensive. Tell me if you have experience with one of those.

These triangular reddish-brown nuts having distinct points are mainly prized for their size, firmness, sweetness and glow and compactness of their skin.

The most astounding fact is that it’s the only nut containing vitamin c. It contains very low fat. It’s good for your brain, blood, skin and immune system. Again the chestnut tree is called as ‘Bread tree’ due to having a high quantity of starch much more than potato. Thus it became a major source of carbohydrates in many countries instead of cereals.

Make sure your chestnuts are undergone curing process so that you could taste the perfect sweetness.

THREE

Almonds 

Price:- $13.99 per pound

Almonds

This nut is called a little bomb of nutrition. Eating almonds in the morning show visible changes in body. It’s a booster of your immune system. 

This is domestic to Iran though largely grown in U.S., Spain and other countries. 80% almonds of the world even with the most expensive variety Nonpareil grow in California. 

You can have both the shelled or unshelled form of almonds in your near store. Raw or roasted both are quite tasty to eat. Almond milk, almond yogurt and almond butter are common in local stores. It reduces the absorption of sugar and carbohydrates in optimal state. Almonds are super building-blocks for your bones. 

In fact the health benefits are too many for paying $13.99 per pound.

TWO

Pine Nuts 

Price:- $23 per pound

Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are also called as pinon, pinoli or pignoli. These nuts are too small to consider as human food. These are harvested from the female cones of large pine trees. The Mexican pinon, the Colorado pinion, the Italian stone pine, Chinese nut pine are the most popular pine nut varieties in the world. 

These cute, little, ivory-colored, oblong, half-inched nuts have brittle texture and very creamy consistency. They are common in many continental-cuisines. The most prominent use is in pesto sauce in Italy. 

There are some reasons why the nuts are so expensive. It takes around 25 years for the pine trees to produce the mature nuts. The hard cones and the hard protective shells have to be cracked by hands to harvest the nuts and this is so labor-intensive. 

Pine nuts have good supplements of vitamin A, C, D and high antioxidants to keep your heart healthy. Romans and Greeks even considered it to be aphrodisiac.  However if you eat too much pine nuts, you may develop a metallic, bitter taste on all food for a few days due to the effect of ‘Pine nut mouth’. 

Pine nuts are now a luxury in Europe. This is yummy to use in desserts and toppings on your sweet dishes.

ONE

Macadamia Nuts 

Price:- $25 per pound

Macadamia Nuts

People say it’s the king of all nuts. This was originated in Australia but now became the world’s most expensive nut what people are chasing. South Africa and Hawaii are the top producers of Macadamia in the world. You may call this as Queensland nut or bush nut or maroochi nut.

It is said that those round-shaped, light-colored nuts are the superior of all nuts. The rich, buttery, blissful flavor and the royal, creamy and crispy taste is just amazing that you will love to have unlimited bites. 

If we talk about the health benefits, pages won’t be sufficient to describe. It contains very high calories with healthy unsaturated fats. It is rich in omega-3 fats and poor in omega-6 fats. Macadamia nuts are in those rare foods which contain palmitoleic acid which are so beneficial to diabetic patients. Nutty specialists say that 30g macadamias per day will act as your best health supplement. 

Well, the price is so high due to the hard labor and complex processing.  This nut has the hardest shell to crack in all the nuts you know till now. Would you believe if I say that it takes 20 kg per cm2 to crack it break? Even the nuts are never collected from trees. They just simply fall after full maturity and thus make the harvesting process very slow. So when you are thinking to spend $25 for this nut, nothing unfair really.

 

Actually, all the nuts are good for our health. There are few other sources besides nuts to increase your brain power. But as you see the prices are not always as friendly as the nuts are. Most of those nuts are prized because of the difficulty to produce and process them. Again you can’t deny the fact that nuts are the perfect snacks choice to make. But don’t forget to roast your nuts before eating to have better taste.

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