The hazel nut is a type of nut that grows in Europe, known by its scientific name Corylus maxima. Other types of hazelnuts may be preferred for commercial cultivation, but all nuts that are hazelnuts may also be called hazelnuts. Hazelnuts have many culinary applications, including spreads, desserts, and liqueurs. They are popular in the US, with most growers located in the Pacific Northwest.
The nut of the hazelnut is related to the hazelnut, but whether it is considered a unique type of nut or a generic definition of all hazelnuts is up for grabs. How it is defined may depend on the individual.
In the most accurate definition, the hazel nut is a type of nut that proliferates in Europe. It is known by its scientific name, Corylus maxima, and as a nut it eats, it enjoys less popularity than other forms of nut. Corylus maxima can be slightly smaller in size, tends to grow on shrubs and is ready to be harvested in early August in Europe.
Nuts form in a husk, with usually four or five walnuts in each husk, and look like most other nuts in appearance. They have a coppery brown, mostly round exterior that is quite hard and comes to a point at the bottom. The nut kernel has a dark brown exterior and a white or cream interior.
Other types of hazelnuts may be preferred for commercial or large-scale cultivation over the hazel nut, but especially in America, all nuts that are hazelnuts may also be called hazelnuts. People could buy a hazelnut or hazelnut in the store and get roughly the same thing. In truth, whether a person distinguishes the nut from the nut as a specific type of nut or thinks of the two nuts as interchangeable, taste, crunch, and other delicious characteristics are relatively the same.
Using the most generic definition, the nut nut has many applications in the kitchen. Nuts are great by the handful and can be found on their own or in mixed cans where they could receive salting and roasting. Unroasted and ‘raw’, they offer excellent flavor and especially in Europe and places like Australia, they are a common addition to desserts, breads and sweets.
Some spreads are made with the nut, including the very popular European Nutella, a chocolate-hazelnut spread that is now being marketed more aggressively in the United States. Plain nut butter or spread could be used for something as simple as a sandwich or as complex as a fancy dessert. The distinctive flavor of the hazelnut is also found in a variety of liqueurs or as a flavoring for things like coffee pastries.
Though often thought of as European, hazelnuts are popular in the United States; their growing region is quite limited. Growers tend to be located most often in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Washington and Oregon. While these growers tend not to focus on growing Corylus maxima, the hazelnut or hazelnut crops they produce are quite well received. The US harvest time is usually slightly later than the European harvest time.
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