Brazil nut

A small portion of one or two nuts is a sensible choice; Brazil nuts can contain a lot of selenium, and the amount varies between nuts. Avoid eating large handfuls regularly.

Spread them in a single layer and roast at 160°C for about 8–10 minutes, checking often because their high fat content makes them brown quickly. Let them cool before chopping or eating.

Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard. For longer storage, refrigerate or freeze them; discard any that smell stale, paint-like or rancid.

Chop them into muesli, porridge or a crunchy salad topping, or blend them into pesto with herbs, garlic, oil and hard cheese. They also work in brownies and fruit-and-nut cake.

For a similar rich crunch, use walnuts or pecans in baking and salads. Cashews are softer and milder, so they work better when you want to blend nuts into a creamy sauce.

They are seeds from the fruit of a South American tree. The large, woody fruit is a capsule that contains a cluster of hard-shelled seeds.

Whole nuts are a choking hazard for young children. If you serve Brazil nuts, finely grind or smooth them into food, and avoid them if the child has a nut allergy.