Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are small, tasty, brown nuts that are in a hard, shiny brown shell.  You may have eaten them raw, in a confection, or in a chocolate spread.  Here’s a little information about these little brown nuts.

What are Hazelnuts?

Hazelnuts are true nuts.  Although the term “nut” can be applied to things like peanuts that aren’t actually nuts, hazelnuts are actual nuts.  Nuts are fruit.  They are dry and have a single seed and have relatively a high amount of oil.  They generally have a layer on the outside that is solid or leathery.  In terms of botany, a nut has a few general qualities.  Although there is more to it, nuts are surrounded by a husk that protects them, they have a shell that is hard, they have one seed, and they are fruit that’s dry.  Hazelnuts fit under this.

Hazelnuts are edible and are eaten raw, prepared in confections, or as spreads.  100 grams of hazelnuts contains around 600 Calories, and they contain minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.  They also produce an oil that can be used in food.  In addition, different parts of the plant can be used in bioenergy.

What Plants do Hazelnuts Come From?

Hazelnuts grow on plants in the Corylus genus.  There are different species such as Corylus avellana (a European variety), Corylus maxima, and Corylus americana (an American variety).  All of them produce hazelnuts.  Generally, these plants are referred to as hazels.  They can be shrubs or trees depending on the species and how they are grown.

Where are Hazelnuts Produced?

Most hazelnuts are grown in Turkey.  In America, most are grown in Washington and Oregon.  Generally, hazelnuts can be produced in places with mild winters (where freezes aren’t common), cool summers, and near bodies of water that can moderate the temperature.  There are trees that are native to Europe as well as America.

It takes around four years for plants to start producing hazelnuts, and large yields can start after around seven years.  Hazelnuts can be harvested in the middle of fall after they fall to the ground.

Are Hazelnuts and Filberts the Same Thing?

Generally, filberts and hazelnuts are used to mean the same thing.  People use both names to refer to the same nut (they are actually called cobnuts too).

The difference in names appears to derive from what people called hazelnuts when they grew them in America versus in Europe.  The French who grew hazelnuts in Oregon called them filberts.  The English though called the nuts that were native to America, hazelnuts.  

There is more to the difference in names, and there are different varieties of nuts with different common names, but the more common name for what we eat is hazelnuts, and that is the term that is generally used throughout the world.

If you liked learning about hazelnuts check out our post about acorns and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with other posts.