Is it the Queensland, Macadamia or Bauple nut?

When I was a boy, we’d occasionally get a treat that we knew as a Queensland nut. I was amazed to learn a few years later they came from Hawaii.

That’s only part of the story though and, as with many stories, it involves bias and inaccuracies.

The nut was indeed a native product of Queensland but could also be found in parts of northern NSW.

I wonder if the “Queensland nut” label was just a case of state rivalry and one-upmanship.

Other names used for the nut include Macadamia Nut, Maroochi and Gympie.

More recently, I learned the nut was known, perhaps, as the Bopple (or Baupal or Bauple) to the indigenous people of the Wide Bay hinterland where it was first recorded by Europeans; to wit, Allan Cunningham.

I say perhaps, because, as with any translation or appropriation from the native tongue to another language, there are many pitfalls.

Indeed, at the turn of the 20th Century, in the closest European settlement to the locale of Cunningham’s “discovery”, all three spellings were used in the town; the Post Office was called Baupal PO, the school and the mountain were Bopple and the sugar mill was Bauple.

This wasn’t settled until 1913, though the decision to go with Bauple, seems rather arbitrary.

There was, for a time, a coastal trading vessel, the SS Bopple, registered in Maryborough, that plied the waters between Wide Bay and Grafton in NSW.

Four native species of “our” Macadamia Nut

I have also discovered, latterly, that there are four native species of the nut.

Interestingly, one species, M. jansenii is quite poisonous, releasing a cyanide compound that can kill.

The Hawaiian connection arose from the fact that the trees were first imported to Hawaii to act as windbreaks for sugar cane and were later successfully commercially grown there.

Currently, South Africa holds the distinction for the largest commercial production of “our” nut.

Bopple Maryborough, from the State Library of Qld and John Oxley Library.

***

Looking for inspiration for your next adventure?

Is the daily rat race leaving you feeling exhausted?

Jocelyn Magazine acts as a source of inspiration to help you indulge your taste buds and curiosity while also discovering the history and culture of Australia.

So, if you are looking for your next adventure, check out some of our travel destination posts here.

Start your weight-loss journey with the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet

Interested in losing weight and keeping it off for good? Look no further!

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has designed a fantastic program designed to do just that. With higher protein, low GI eating plans, you can reduce cravings and feel fuller for longer.

Plus, the program includes proven weight loss tools to create positive, lifelong habits that will help you achieve your goals. Ready to start your journey to a healthier you? Click this link to join the program today!

***Jocelyn Magazine is proud to be affiliated with the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. When you sign up for their program by clicking one of their links on our site, we’ll receive a little something in return. Your support enables us to continue publishing content that we hope will inspire you.***

Learn, Laugh & Live Healthy with PooCast Podcast

Are you curious about how the foods we eat impact our health?

Join me, Watts, along with Kaye Browne and Brian Pickering on our PooCast Podcast, where we share nuggets of health-related eating tips and advice from experts in dieting and nutrition.

We even chat about how what we eat and drink affects our mental health, so tune in, and let’s learn and laugh together!

Click this link to visit PooCast Podcast.