Hazelnut

A hazelnut is the nut of the hazel and is also known as cobnut or filbert nut according to species. A cob is roughly spherical to oval, about 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm in diameter, with an outer fibrous husk surrounding a smooth shell.

Over 70 percent of the world production of hazelnuts comes from Turkey which runs far inland and stretches out as far as the Georgian-Armenian border. Millions of trees thrive in this area and thousands of local residents earn their living in the hazelnut industry. Harvesting, sorting and cleaning hazelnuts are mainly done manually. In large factories, the nuts are mechanically cracked, blanched, polished, chopped, ground into flour and prepared for shipment.

In Western Europe, almost exclusively Turkish hazelnuts are consumed. Other producing countries are the U.S.A., the Eastern European countries, Spain and Italy. In our country, Italian hazelnuts in shell are sold by the end of the year. These have practically always been polished. Worldwide, shelled hazelnuts are used in huge amounts, especially in the bakery industry. Hazelnuts turned into hazelnut paste, hazelnut cream, hazelnut chocolate, shavings and flour for various applications. You will also find hazelnuts at almost every market and in gourmet shops. In the kitchen, hazelnuts shavings are used in some dishes. Hazelnuts, natural or blanched, are essential ingredients in assorted nuts and raisins.