10 Fun Facts About Hazelnuts and Benefits

Hazelnuts are those little nuts that look very similar to acorns when in their rounded shells.

When this thin shell is cracked open, the inner kernel has a thin brown skin which when peeled, reveals a cream-colored nut.

All hazelnuts have a small hollow center that is revealed when sliced in half.

Hazelnuts come from small Hazel trees in the birch family and are native to woodlands, scrubs and hedgerows in regions of Europe and Western Asia.

The common hazel is the Corylus avellana or "European Hazelnut", indigenous to many areas of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as some Mediterranean countries, especially Italy and Greece.

Its natural habitat also extends across Scandinavia, northwestern Iran, Turkey and other countries of the Middle East.

Many people use the terms "hazelnuts" and "filberts" interchangeably because they typically common from the same nut species Corylus avellana, also called "cobnuts" in the U.K.

However, occasionally the term "filbert" can refer to the species Corylus maxima. This is a nut with a slightly more elongated shape but looks very similar to the common hazelnut in taste and texture.

The word "filbert" was adopted from the European celebration called St. Philibert's Feast Day, which coincides with the nut harvest time in late August.

Hazelnuts have a very distinct taste and texture, which intensifies in complexity when slightly roasted.

Raw nuts are often described as have coffee or cocoa undertones with a subtly sweet and somewhat earthy, bitter flavor profile.

Because of their high oil content, they also have a rich buttery taste.

When roasted, hazelnut develops a very deep caramel-like flavor that's distinct from other nut varieties.

Hazelnuts are a highly utilized ingredient in numerous cultural desserts and baked goods around the world.

By far the most popular for culinary use is the roasted, toasted variety because it adds a deep flavor to any dish, both savory and sweet.

They are very common in baked goods like cakes, pastries and cookies as well as confections like praline, nut brittle's, caramels, candies and truffles.

Hazelnuts are often paired with chocolate in many sweet treats and also featured with cocoa in the well-known Italian spread called Nutella.

This nut variety is a customary favorite in the Italian hazelnut gelato ice cream.

So, what are some of the nutritional properties of hazelnuts? Well, that depends on exactly how you eat them. Roasting raw (steam flash pasteurized) can reduce some of the natural antioxidant content found in the nuts.

Not only because of high-temperature heating, but also because the skin of the nut is often removed during this process.

Hazelnut skins have the highest concentration of nutrients like flavonoids and phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidins, gallic acid and caffeic acid.

Hazelnuts are also high VITAMIN E, which can degrade with exposure to heat.

For higher nutritional benefits, it is recommended to use low-medium temp roasting methods usually between 248-320°F (120–160°C). This can help to enhance the flavor of hazelnuts while preserving some of the nutrient quality contained within them.

Another option for the supreme health enthusiast would be to purchase organic whole hazelnuts with the skin and process them yourself using a dehydrator.

This requires soaking the whole hazelnuts in water for about 8 hours, then straining and coating with desired sweeteners or sea salt. When you dehydrate them overnight on medium temperature setting, they will develop a desirable crunchy texture and enhance flavor.

Most nuts these days are not considered "raw" because they are required by law to be flash steam pasteurized.

Hazelnuts are a fatty nut variety high in VITAMIN E content compared to other nuts and seeds. While sunflower seeds are the highest source, hazelnuts are third after almonds, with about 4.2mg Vitamin E (21% the DV) for one ounce of hazelnuts.

They are likewise second on the list of nuts and seeds, after macadamia, for their heart-healthy MONOUNSATURATED FAT at approximately 12.8 grams per one ounce (28g) serving.

In regard to vitamins and minerals, the hazelnut is on the higher range by comparison for manganese, copper, vitamin B6, folate and iron.

To date, the largest world producer for hazelnuts is Turkey, dominating between 60-70% of the global supply.

Next is Italy and then the United States. The state of Oregon is a major growing region for hazelnuts making up 95% of all domestic U.S. production, most all sourced from hazel trees thriving in the Willamette Valley.

Hazelnuts have been consumed for many thousands of years by humans. Evidence of historical hazelnut processing sites exists in Britain in Surrey and on the Isle of Man.

In the mid-90s, a very large-scale Mesolithic nut processing pit was found on the island of Colonsay in Scotland, dating back over 8,000 years ago.