November 21, 2022 • 30 mins
This sweet, creamy nut lends itself to snacking and all kinds of dishes, but some 90 percent of the world’s crop goes to processing for sweets. Anney and Lauren crack open the science and history of hazelnuts (and filberts).
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio.
I'm Annie Rees and I'm more in Vocal Bomb, and
today we have an episode for you about hazel nuts. Yes,
and many of you have suggested this episode. Oh yeah,
and many of you are from Oregon. Uh. And I
can tell by the research that hazel nut is indeed
(00:29):
a point of pride in that state. Yes, so this
all makes sense now, h it does? It does? Indeed?
Was there any particular reason this was on your mind?
Maybe I was trying to think of foods that I
associate with the holidays, as like like Thanksgiving and other
holiday feast type celebrations are approaching and or happening right now,
(00:52):
Happy Life Day, thank you and um and yeah, I
every every year leading up to like Christmas, I get
some of those, like like in shell nut mixes, and
hazelnuts are maybe my favorite part of that. I've also
(01:15):
been told that having a bowl of nuts out with
a with a nutcracker like gives off serious grandpa vibes.
And I'm really chill with that, as you should be
nothing wrong with that at all. What is your favorite candy?
My favorite? Like my favorite candy candy like of all time? Yeah,
I don't really have favorites like that, dude. I'm sorry,
(01:37):
Well I can't. Well, then I can't make any judgment.
I'm going to use your candy and then trying to
discern the truth of this statement. Okay, all right, I
in general, I like chocolates and I also like caramels.
M hmm. Okay, well that could go either way. But
you know, again, nothing wrong with it. Um. I have
(02:05):
a lot of friends who would telling me, like, my
favorite candy or my favorite treat is a grandfather grandmother
treat or whatever, and there is nothing wrong with that. No, no,
be And you know you're just you're not all fashioned
your classic Oh there you go, there you go. I
(02:26):
can't say I've had hazel nuts. I can't say I
have had hazel nuts. I don't think i've had I've
obviously had ntella. Obviously you're obviously. Um My mom gives
me that every Christmas. Now I've I've talked about this before,
but she she's a she's just a very sweet, observant person,
(02:49):
and she's always trying to figure out, you know, what
is the snack food she'll put in your stocking. And
she apparently has arrived at for me. Uh, kind of
like running bars and natilla. All right, yeah, no, that
makes sense. I sure, Um, but I don't know that.
(03:11):
I think I've probably had hazel nuts in um, like
baked goods, but I don't think I've ever had a
straight hazel I've had. I've had enough to make up
for your lack. I've had. I've had probably literal thousands
over the course of my lifetime. Wow. Wow, I'm sure
this is something I could easily correct. Dang, all right,
(03:37):
it's kind of funny in this research, perhaps showing how
unaware I was of the world of hazel nuts is.
I had a moment where I was like, what the
heck is a Philbert? I've never heard of this. What
are we talking about? I think I might have heard
(03:57):
that term before, but I definitely didn't understand that is
another word for for hazel nuts. Uh. So I was
as surprised as you are. Yes, well that makes me
feel better. Um, and we are we are going to
talk a little bit about that. But listeners, I would
love to know maybe this is more of a regional thing.
Oh yeah, yeah it is. Yeah, So I would love
(04:19):
to hear here from people because I had never heard it.
I was so confused. Here we are here, we are uh,
And yes, you can see our natilla episode. We're gonna
talk about a little bit in this but not much sure.
Also our episode about pray lines or prey lines, depending
(04:42):
on how you want to say it, are probably heck
and heck. It's uh. This episode we already discussed some
nervousness we have around pronunciation, but we're gonna. We're gonna
barrel through and do our best. We all always do
as we always do. I think this brings us to
(05:03):
our question. Hazel nuts. What are they? Well, hazelnuts are
a type of nut. Yes, they grow on trees. They're small,
maybe about an inch round or less in their shell,
and slightly flattened with a with a point at one end.
You do not eat the shell, but that's okay because
(05:24):
it's pretty easy to get them open, and once you do,
there's like a little creamy white gem inside, covered in
a thin brown skin. Um. Hazelnuts are buttery and sweet
and crunchy. They can be roasted um, ground into flour,
or ground into even creamier butter um, and they add
(05:44):
just this lovely, roasty, nutty richness to everything they touch.
They're like a more delicate tasting like dessert destined peanut. Uh,
they're they're like sweet cream butter that grows on trees. Oh,
that sounds so lovely. And you know what, bonus points,
(06:07):
it's actually a nut that doesn't happen off. I know
we're going to talk about that. Yeah, okay, So so
hazel nuts, yes, are the dry, hard fruits of hazel trees.
The hazel tree genus is Coralis, and there are a
number of species in it that produced nuts, uh, plus
a whole bunch of like hybrids that have been developed too.
(06:30):
They can range from sort of shrubby and just a
little bit taller than a person to like big old
trees like forty five ft or fifteen meters in height,
and they tend to flower during the late winter with
a separate male and female flowers. That the male flowers
come on these long spikes or catkins with with dozens
(06:50):
of like super tiny little blooms. Um. The female flowers
are just tiny little clusters of buds that each have
a tuft of like pink to red filaments that are
sticking out of the top. They they look like an
alien egg in a horror film, but in like a
fun way. Well that's nice. Yeah. Uh, you do need
(07:14):
more than one tree to pollinate. And because they bloom
so early, um, they are wind pollinated, not insect pollinated.
But once that happens, the female buds will develop out
into a single fruit contained within this thin but stiff shell. Um.
They are, yes, a slightly flattened round with a flatt
end where they attached to the tree and a point
(07:35):
at the end facing outward from the branch. They developed
throughout the spring and summer and ripen in the late
summer to early fall, upon which they sometimes followed the
ground but do not split open. And this makes them
a rare true not what although that's controversial, oh what
(07:57):
apparently due to the so so when those buds develop,
when those female buds develop out into the nut um,
they they have surrounding them these these flower or bract
parts um that develop around them that look that look leafy. Um.
So it's a botanical controversy. Um. And those leafy bracts
(08:20):
also make the developing nuts look a lot like Audrey
to as a bud. I'm just saying, wow. Yeah. Second
horror reference in the botany are breasts um. The genus
name comes from the Latin term for these trees, which
(08:41):
itself roots from the Greek term for helmet due to
the like hardness and shape of the shells, and interestingly,
the English word hazel is also related to a word
for for cap or hat from the Anglo saxon m hmm. Yeah.
Another nomenclature related note one trademarked hybrid like cultivar, it's
(09:02):
called the beast. The beast doesn't look particularly beastly. It
looks like a tree, all I. I guess it's all
in the eye of the beholder, you know. Yeah, maybe
it has like a beastly production capacity. I'm not sure.
I don't know. Um. Some species of hazel nuts are
(09:29):
alternately called cobnuts or Philbert's as discussed above, and actually
the flavor molecule that is most responsible for for the sweet, buttery,
nutty almost like chocolate e flavor that hazel nuts have
is named for phil is named for Filbert's um filbertone. Yeah. However,
(09:51):
it is certainly not the only flavor compound in there.
There are at least thirty seven that have been identified
and raw hazel nuts, and at least forty six in
roasted hazel nuts. M hmm. Some types are eaten fresh,
like like green and sort of coconutti. Um, I think
cob nuts mostly and I think that's mostly a UK thing,
let me know, um, but most are dried and roasted
(10:14):
before eating. They can be snacked on whole. They can
be used a whole or chopped or ground into flowers
and butters as a component in baked goods and candies. Uh.
They're used as a flavoring for coffees, also used to
produce hazelnut milk dairy substitute. They're made into spreads like
the Tella and flavor liqueurs like fringelico. And although they
(10:34):
are most often used in sweet dishes, they're also a
really great crunchy topping on savory dishes or is like
a really buttery addition to um to sauces or soups.
Make a good pesto yeah right. They can also be
pressed for their oil, which is pretty strongly flavored, sometimes
used as a cooking oil. Um and I read okay,
(10:57):
hazelnuts are fairly costly um, and so is there oil.
But apparently olive oil is even more expensive um. And
so there have been some cases of olive oil being
adulterated with hazelnut oil like illicitly. Um. But but the
adulteration of olive oil is a whole whole other episode
or episodes. Maybe I think olive oil. We have put
(11:20):
off tackling that one for a while. Oh yeah, no,
heck that topic that not today, not today one day,
but not today, No, no, no, nope, nope, nope. Um.
At any rate, the the oil is also used in
skin care and hair care products. Yea, mm hmmmmm. Well
(11:40):
what about the nutrition? Hazelnuts are pretty good for you.
They've got a punch of protein and a bunch of
good fats, some fiber and excellent spread of micronutrients, so
they will fill you up and keep you going. They
are colorically dense, so like watch your portion size um.
And once you've mixed them with an equal way to sugar,
I this this no longer applies. That's that's a separate
(12:03):
that's a separate that's a separate product. Yeah. Uh. Interesting
fact they have the highest that is the best ratio
of unsaturated two saturated fatty acids of all nuts. That
is an interesting fact. There you go, well, there go.
And speaking of numbers, yes, we do have some for you.
(12:25):
Turkey is the largest producer of hazel nuts, followed by Italy, Spain,
the US, and Grease. The stretch of Turkey's coastline along
the Black Sea produces of the global crop. Wow and
speaking of wow, um, Oregon here in the US accounts
for of our hazel nut crops. So yes, yeah, yeah,
(12:47):
I've read as high as like it's it's a lot
of it um. Also, globally, some of the hazel nuts
produced go to processing. Um only about ten our soul
old for for consumption whole. Also, I did want to
mention that there are like kind of a lot of
(13:07):
hazel nut festivals around North America and Europe, but as
far as I can tell, they're mostly really just about
like local vendors selling things that they made with hazel
nuts for you to eat and or otherwise purchase. Like,
I have not found a single frightening mascot. Oh, the
horror that we don't have the horror don't look at
(13:30):
I agreed, Uh natella producer Ferraro. Oh gosh, I hope
I'm getting that correctly. Near there buys about twenty of
the world's hazel nuts. Yeah, and they're even getting into
into the growing game of hazel nuts. More seriously, they
(13:51):
planted some five million hazel nut trees in the late
twenty teens. Uh. And that's because they make just a
just a lot, just a lot of natla and other
hazel nut related stuff. We collectively eat and estimated eight
hundred million pounds of ntela a year A lot lot. Um. Wow,
(14:18):
we do have a lot of history to go over,
and we do. But first we're going to get into
a quick break for a word from our sponsors, and
we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. Okay. So
(14:40):
this one was tough because histories of hazel nuts were
so localized. It was like the history of hazel nuts
in Oregon, the history of hazel nuts in Canada, like
so and so forth. Um, But here we go and
do our best. Yeah. Archaeological evidence suggests that people have
been eating hazel nuts for ten thousand years at least
(15:04):
to Mesolithic and Neolithic times, when they were an important
food source for hunter gatherers um eaten raw. From what
I read, depending on the species, they are native to Asia, Europe,
and North America. But again it was also localized, so
difficult to track down um. Charred hazel nut remains have
(15:24):
been discovered from Scotland to the Pacific northwest. UM they
were considered sacred and two thousand BC each China and
ancient Greek physician Dus Varieties wrote about the medicinal benefits
of hazel nuts UM and these benefits ranged wildly from
curing a cold to combating baldness, so all kinds of things, okay, yeah,
(15:47):
sure sure, And they were certainly not the the only
people who used hazel nuts medicinally. No, First Nations tribes
and what is now Canada have used beat hazel nut
for thousands of years UM, where they were not only
a staple food source, but the sticks and stems were
important for all kinds of things, from weapons to traps
(16:09):
to baskets. The oily shells were used for fuel, the
nuts as medicine, the roots as a blue dye, and
the hazel bushes were managed by fire. But like it
was very important part to just so many aspects of
life um in that in that area. But yeah, why
(16:29):
are they sometimes called Philbert's I feel like I'm doing
a stand up bit and I don't mean to hear
I would again, I really want to hear from listeners
because I just had never heard of this. Um. But
from what I read, this could very well be apocryphal.
I think it probably is, but you know, maybe the
popular story goes that Philbert's is most likely thanks to
(16:51):
europe Um Frances Sat Philbert's Feast Day, which a celebration
of St. Philbert takes place on August, which is the
same time that hazel nuts are ready to be harvested.
And I guess they became known as Philbert's because of that.
I will. Yeah, we're both doing kind of a shrug motion. Um.
(17:16):
Others think it derives from the German word for full beard,
because that's what a hust hazel nut resembles, also a
shrug emotion. I I guess it looks like like the
little point sort of looks like the point of a beard. Uh.
Certainly before before you husk them, they're very beardy like.
(17:40):
Like I said, they've got all those little leafy bits
that are apparently botanically controversial. Uh. Yeah. The term Philbert
seems to have developed specifically in the British Isles Um,
where indeed hazel nuts are ripe around that time August um,
and there were already celebrations happening vaguely around that time
(18:03):
that involved people and especially kids, going out and harvesting
hazel nuts. Like William Wordsworth wrote a poem about his
fond memories of doing this. Um. He wrote the poem
in like like seventeen nine. Um. The poem is titled
nutting if you want to look it up. That really
hasn't like held up as a title. But but yeah, yeah,
(18:23):
it's a beautiful poem. Well, yes, indeed, that's well yes, Um.
Moving on when it comes to the Pacific Northwest, records
indicate that Oregon has been cultivating the European hazel nuts
since the eighteen hundreds. Uh, they probably were others. They
were definitely others native there. Um oh yeah and yeah
(18:44):
yeah yeah, but the European version since the eighteen hundreds,
and they were being grown in British Columbia by nineteen thirty,
though probably even before that. Um. And again see our
nutella episode. But that's spreadable. Hazel nut and chocolate SAM
was invented in n It was largely the product of
(19:04):
a cocoa shortage during World War Two, so hazel nuts
got supped in. And it probably goes without saying based
on all the other stuff we've already said, but this
was a hugely popular item, still is and as such
has had a huge impact on hazel nut cropping prices.
Like you can't talk about hazel nuts without talking about this. Um.
(19:25):
It also probably goes without saying that there is a
long debated history of combining chocolate and hazel nuts in Europe.
I have to say it overwhelmed me, and I did
not do it because I think it would be a
separate episode. But basically, like people were, people like to
argue about when did this combination first start? Yeah, And
(19:47):
I mean it's one of those things we talked about
this a lot where like probably, um, you know, a
lot of people made that decision independently in different places,
kind of around the same time, because it just sort
of makes sense if you have chocolate and you have
hazel nuts, like, hey, like that would probably be tasted together.
(20:08):
Let's try it. Uh. And also right there there is
we really could do a whole episode about it. There
are a number of like really specific pastries from a
number of different places that incorporate both chocolate and hazel nut. Um,
so yeah, there you go. Yeah, ye, I I saw
the looming list of all these pastries, and I was like, Nope,
(20:32):
I can't handle it right now. But yes, yeah, and
again listeners were soliciting, as always a lot of advice
from you, but if you have experience with that or
favorite or something, just right in and let us know. UM.
The Oregon legislature named the hazel nut the state nut
in nine Okay. Also, in a group of researchers out
(20:57):
of Germany isolated the aforementioned filbertone that hazel nut primary
flavor molecule UM and the lab synthesis of philibertone has
led to increased availability of hazelnut flavored and scented products
that have never seen an actual hazel nut right right,
And filibertone sounds it must be said, like some kind
(21:21):
of like painting a color of paint that I could buy. Yeah,
I mean maybe it is. I could see it, I
could seem sure, mm hmm. In the early two thousands,
the Eastern Filbert blight hit the North American West Coast
hazelnut crop and it was devastating UM. For example, British
(21:41):
Columbia's hazel nuts were destroyed by UM. They're still trying
to recover and have made great strides, but still have
a long way to go. But worth noting some of
the crop native to North America can withstand this fungus. Yeah. Yeah,
So what you're dealing with here is these these imported
(22:01):
European uh, hazel nut trees did not have any kind
of genetic defenses against this this blight that had originated
in native like East Coast American hazel nut trees previously,
and so when that blight spread to the west, they
(22:21):
were just like oops, I'm dead now. Uh. But but
right there, there's a lot of research being done into
how to create hybrids. They're healthier, and it's also a
huge success story in terms of containment because that blight
has not spread out of North America. Wow. Yeah, more
bad news though. Climate change is affecting growing conditions where
(22:47):
hazel nuts are produced, like turkey um, creating higher temperatures
and flooding, and hazelnut prices have increased by over sixty
in the past decade or so due to low supply,
and that is all while demand is up. As of
more candy brands, we're launching hazelnut products like like Lins
(23:10):
hazelnut spread and Eminem's that contain hazel nut butter or
goop or whatever you want to call it. Oh wow,
yeah right, I know, I'm like that sounds delicious. Also,
the pandemic may have pushed demand even higher. People conjecture
(23:30):
that it's due to that, that nostalgia comfort food kind
of thing. As sales of natella in France we're worth
more than any other grocery item. They were worth forty
million euros that year. That's higher than the cost of
even butter, or coffee or toilet paper. Wow wow, yeah,
(23:57):
I mean people love their nutella. I think in that
episode we talked about, because that episode was a while
ago we did it, but I think we were there
was a shortage we talked about in there where people
were fighting over getting natilla. Um yeah, Natila panic, It's real,
it is it is. Um. Well again, listeners, if you've
(24:22):
got any any more information about how hazel nuts are
used in your area, if you've been to a festival
and there's something we're missing, um, please let us know.
But I think that's what we have to say about
hazel nuts for now. I think it is. We do
have some listener mail for you, though, and we are
going to get into that as soon as we get
back from one more quick break forward from our sponsors,
(24:51):
and we're back. Thank you sponsoring, Yes, thank you, and
we're back with listen. Yeah, okay, I was trying to
do like the sound of the shape. That makes sense.
It's also kind of it's kind of smooth and sweet. Yeah, yeah,
(25:15):
I feel kind of. I feel a little more relaxed
after doing it, to be honest. So that's good. That's good. Yeah.
And speaking of oh my goodness, listeners, you continue to astound,
amazed and helpless relaxed because you keep sending in these
amazing pet photos. This is like our whole inboxes this
(25:36):
right now. And I have zero complaints. I do legitimately
feel bad for you listening, but wow, I have no complaints.
Um okay, so Ellen wrote, I know it's well after
Halloween at this point, but I thought you might enjoy
pictures of my dog's Halloween costume. Last year we started
doing a fun run called the Dash of Doom, where
(25:58):
you dress up with your dog and talk slash run
five kilometers. Last year she was a taco in a bag,
and this year she was Pico Montoya and I was physic.
But my costume was much more thrown together. Here are
pictures of both for you to enjoy. I feel like
I might have sent the taco pictures before, so if
(26:20):
I did, I'm sorry. I never apologize. Uh ps, there's
one of my cat Nano in the taco as well.
She didn't get to go on any adventures. She was
just a miserable palindrome. Ha. Okay, these pictures are so cute. Okay,
So if you don't know the Pico Montoya is from
(26:42):
the Princess Bride because Anigo Montoya. Sure, yes, but this
is a small, small dog, perhaps perhaps Chihuahua adjacent. Um,
I'm sorry if if that's I'm sorry if that's super incorrect.
I'm kind of bad at dog breeds. But but yeah,
but she's got she's got a good little way big
um and a little saber and a little speech bubble
(27:06):
that says, hello, my name is Pico Montoya. You killed
my father, prepared to die, and I'll say that you're
you're physic costume like could lean Jedi. But but it's
I think it's clear next to Inigo or next to
Pico Montoya here, I think it's clear what you had going. Yes,
and it's excellent. It's fantastic and I love it. Also,
(27:31):
the cat in the taco, I mean, I'm biased because
this cat reminds me distinctly of my own gray cat,
because because he's got a little white bib and the
little white sox. Um. But oh but nano, little little
nano taco staring off despondently, like, why have you done this?
(27:52):
It's for this very reason, because we think it's cute, sucker,
and you don't have a posable thumbs. What are you
gonna do about it? Ums? Sheldon wrote, Uh, not wearing
Halloween costumes, but Christmas stuff. The first picture is tet
pool uh. And the next is Napoleon. And then since
(28:15):
it's Christmas time, the cats playing in the snow uh.
And so yes, we've got We've got chicken little tea
tea pool or chicken little dressed in a little Santa
cap and a little a little scarf or muff, perhaps
(28:35):
looking looking like he hates you and everything else on
the planet deeply, which I find very endearing. Mildly annoying
cats is kind of my reason for existing. Um uh.
(28:57):
And then Napoleon also looking actually very handsome and pleased
with himself, and in his little little rough um and
then yeah, balancing so beautifully on on a snowy roof,
looking like they are just having the best times of
their little cat lives. It's so good, so good, oh
(29:18):
my gosh, so much joy you have brought us on
this day, this very special life day. So thank you, yes,
thank you. I did not I did not know I
was going to encounter a cat named chicken little Oh
my gosh, and looking so frustrated and very best. It
(29:38):
is absolutely best. Um, Yes, thank you so much to
both of these listeners. If you would like to write
to us, you can. Our email is Hello at favor
pod dot com. We're also on social media. You can
find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at savor pod,
and we do hope to hear from you. Savor is
a production of my Heart Radio. For more podcasts my
(30:00):
Heart Radio, you can visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagin and
Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope
that lots more good things are coming your way.
Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio.
I'm Annie Rees and I'm more in Vocal Bomb, and
today we have an episode for you about hazel nuts. Yes,
and many of you have suggested this episode. Oh yeah,
and many of you are from Oregon. Uh. And I
can tell by the research that hazel nut is indeed
(00:29):
a point of pride in that state. Yes, so this
all makes sense now, h it does? It does? Indeed?
Was there any particular reason this was on your mind?
Maybe I was trying to think of foods that I
associate with the holidays, as like like Thanksgiving and other
holiday feast type celebrations are approaching and or happening right now,
(00:52):
Happy Life Day, thank you and um and yeah, I
every every year leading up to like Christmas, I get
some of those, like like in shell nut mixes, and
hazelnuts are maybe my favorite part of that. I've also
(01:15):
been told that having a bowl of nuts out with
a with a nutcracker like gives off serious grandpa vibes.
And I'm really chill with that, as you should be
nothing wrong with that at all. What is your favorite candy?
My favorite? Like my favorite candy candy like of all time? Yeah,
I don't really have favorites like that, dude. I'm sorry,
(01:37):
Well I can't. Well, then I can't make any judgment.
I'm going to use your candy and then trying to
discern the truth of this statement. Okay, all right, I
in general, I like chocolates and I also like caramels.
M hmm. Okay, well that could go either way. But
you know, again, nothing wrong with it. Um. I have
(02:05):
a lot of friends who would telling me, like, my
favorite candy or my favorite treat is a grandfather grandmother
treat or whatever, and there is nothing wrong with that. No, no,
be And you know you're just you're not all fashioned
your classic Oh there you go, there you go. I
(02:26):
can't say I've had hazel nuts. I can't say I
have had hazel nuts. I don't think i've had I've
obviously had ntella. Obviously you're obviously. Um My mom gives
me that every Christmas. Now I've I've talked about this before,
but she she's a she's just a very sweet, observant person,
(02:49):
and she's always trying to figure out, you know, what
is the snack food she'll put in your stocking. And
she apparently has arrived at for me. Uh, kind of
like running bars and natilla. All right, yeah, no, that
makes sense. I sure, Um, but I don't know that.
(03:11):
I think I've probably had hazel nuts in um, like
baked goods, but I don't think I've ever had a
straight hazel I've had. I've had enough to make up
for your lack. I've had. I've had probably literal thousands
over the course of my lifetime. Wow. Wow, I'm sure
this is something I could easily correct. Dang, all right,
(03:37):
it's kind of funny in this research, perhaps showing how
unaware I was of the world of hazel nuts is.
I had a moment where I was like, what the
heck is a Philbert? I've never heard of this. What
are we talking about? I think I might have heard
(03:57):
that term before, but I definitely didn't understand that is
another word for for hazel nuts. Uh. So I was
as surprised as you are. Yes, well that makes me
feel better. Um, and we are we are going to
talk a little bit about that. But listeners, I would
love to know maybe this is more of a regional thing.
Oh yeah, yeah it is. Yeah, So I would love
(04:19):
to hear here from people because I had never heard it.
I was so confused. Here we are here, we are uh,
And yes, you can see our natilla episode. We're gonna
talk about a little bit in this but not much sure.
Also our episode about pray lines or prey lines, depending
(04:42):
on how you want to say it, are probably heck
and heck. It's uh. This episode we already discussed some
nervousness we have around pronunciation, but we're gonna. We're gonna
barrel through and do our best. We all always do
as we always do. I think this brings us to
(05:03):
our question. Hazel nuts. What are they? Well, hazelnuts are
a type of nut. Yes, they grow on trees. They're small,
maybe about an inch round or less in their shell,
and slightly flattened with a with a point at one end.
You do not eat the shell, but that's okay because
(05:24):
it's pretty easy to get them open, and once you do,
there's like a little creamy white gem inside, covered in
a thin brown skin. Um. Hazelnuts are buttery and sweet
and crunchy. They can be roasted um, ground into flour,
or ground into even creamier butter um, and they add
(05:44):
just this lovely, roasty, nutty richness to everything they touch.
They're like a more delicate tasting like dessert destined peanut. Uh,
they're they're like sweet cream butter that grows on trees. Oh,
that sounds so lovely. And you know what, bonus points,
(06:07):
it's actually a nut that doesn't happen off. I know
we're going to talk about that. Yeah, okay, So so
hazel nuts, yes, are the dry, hard fruits of hazel trees.
The hazel tree genus is Coralis, and there are a
number of species in it that produced nuts, uh, plus
a whole bunch of like hybrids that have been developed too.
(06:30):
They can range from sort of shrubby and just a
little bit taller than a person to like big old
trees like forty five ft or fifteen meters in height,
and they tend to flower during the late winter with
a separate male and female flowers. That the male flowers
come on these long spikes or catkins with with dozens
(06:50):
of like super tiny little blooms. Um. The female flowers
are just tiny little clusters of buds that each have
a tuft of like pink to red filaments that are
sticking out of the top. They they look like an
alien egg in a horror film, but in like a
fun way. Well that's nice. Yeah. Uh, you do need
(07:14):
more than one tree to pollinate. And because they bloom
so early, um, they are wind pollinated, not insect pollinated.
But once that happens, the female buds will develop out
into a single fruit contained within this thin but stiff shell. Um.
They are, yes, a slightly flattened round with a flatt
end where they attached to the tree and a point
(07:35):
at the end facing outward from the branch. They developed
throughout the spring and summer and ripen in the late
summer to early fall, upon which they sometimes followed the
ground but do not split open. And this makes them
a rare true not what although that's controversial, oh what
(07:57):
apparently due to the so so when those buds develop,
when those female buds develop out into the nut um,
they they have surrounding them these these flower or bract
parts um that develop around them that look that look leafy. Um.
So it's a botanical controversy. Um. And those leafy bracts
(08:20):
also make the developing nuts look a lot like Audrey
to as a bud. I'm just saying, wow. Yeah. Second
horror reference in the botany are breasts um. The genus
name comes from the Latin term for these trees, which
(08:41):
itself roots from the Greek term for helmet due to
the like hardness and shape of the shells, and interestingly,
the English word hazel is also related to a word
for for cap or hat from the Anglo saxon m hmm. Yeah.
Another nomenclature related note one trademarked hybrid like cultivar, it's
(09:02):
called the beast. The beast doesn't look particularly beastly. It
looks like a tree, all I. I guess it's all
in the eye of the beholder, you know. Yeah, maybe
it has like a beastly production capacity. I'm not sure.
I don't know. Um. Some species of hazel nuts are
(09:29):
alternately called cobnuts or Philbert's as discussed above, and actually
the flavor molecule that is most responsible for for the sweet, buttery,
nutty almost like chocolate e flavor that hazel nuts have
is named for phil is named for Filbert's um filbertone. Yeah. However,
(09:51):
it is certainly not the only flavor compound in there.
There are at least thirty seven that have been identified
and raw hazel nuts, and at least forty six in
roasted hazel nuts. M hmm. Some types are eaten fresh,
like like green and sort of coconutti. Um, I think
cob nuts mostly and I think that's mostly a UK thing,
let me know, um, but most are dried and roasted
(10:14):
before eating. They can be snacked on whole. They can
be used a whole or chopped or ground into flowers
and butters as a component in baked goods and candies. Uh.
They're used as a flavoring for coffees, also used to
produce hazelnut milk dairy substitute. They're made into spreads like
the Tella and flavor liqueurs like fringelico. And although they
(10:34):
are most often used in sweet dishes, they're also a
really great crunchy topping on savory dishes or is like
a really buttery addition to um to sauces or soups.
Make a good pesto yeah right. They can also be
pressed for their oil, which is pretty strongly flavored, sometimes
used as a cooking oil. Um and I read okay,
(10:57):
hazelnuts are fairly costly um, and so is there oil.
But apparently olive oil is even more expensive um. And
so there have been some cases of olive oil being
adulterated with hazelnut oil like illicitly. Um. But but the
adulteration of olive oil is a whole whole other episode
or episodes. Maybe I think olive oil. We have put
(11:20):
off tackling that one for a while. Oh yeah, no,
heck that topic that not today, not today one day,
but not today, No, no, no, nope, nope, nope. Um.
At any rate, the the oil is also used in
skin care and hair care products. Yea, mm hmmmmm. Well
(11:40):
what about the nutrition? Hazelnuts are pretty good for you.
They've got a punch of protein and a bunch of
good fats, some fiber and excellent spread of micronutrients, so
they will fill you up and keep you going. They
are colorically dense, so like watch your portion size um.
And once you've mixed them with an equal way to sugar,
I this this no longer applies. That's that's a separate
(12:03):
that's a separate that's a separate product. Yeah. Uh. Interesting
fact they have the highest that is the best ratio
of unsaturated two saturated fatty acids of all nuts. That
is an interesting fact. There you go, well, there go.
And speaking of numbers, yes, we do have some for you.
(12:25):
Turkey is the largest producer of hazel nuts, followed by Italy, Spain,
the US, and Grease. The stretch of Turkey's coastline along
the Black Sea produces of the global crop. Wow and
speaking of wow, um, Oregon here in the US accounts
for of our hazel nut crops. So yes, yeah, yeah,
(12:47):
I've read as high as like it's it's a lot
of it um. Also, globally, some of the hazel nuts
produced go to processing. Um only about ten our soul
old for for consumption whole. Also, I did want to
mention that there are like kind of a lot of
(13:07):
hazel nut festivals around North America and Europe, but as
far as I can tell, they're mostly really just about
like local vendors selling things that they made with hazel
nuts for you to eat and or otherwise purchase. Like,
I have not found a single frightening mascot. Oh, the
horror that we don't have the horror don't look at
(13:30):
I agreed, Uh natella producer Ferraro. Oh gosh, I hope
I'm getting that correctly. Near there buys about twenty of
the world's hazel nuts. Yeah, and they're even getting into
into the growing game of hazel nuts. More seriously, they
(13:51):
planted some five million hazel nut trees in the late
twenty teens. Uh. And that's because they make just a
just a lot, just a lot of natla and other
hazel nut related stuff. We collectively eat and estimated eight
hundred million pounds of ntela a year A lot lot. Um. Wow,
(14:18):
we do have a lot of history to go over,
and we do. But first we're going to get into
a quick break for a word from our sponsors, and
we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. Okay. So
(14:40):
this one was tough because histories of hazel nuts were
so localized. It was like the history of hazel nuts
in Oregon, the history of hazel nuts in Canada, like
so and so forth. Um, But here we go and
do our best. Yeah. Archaeological evidence suggests that people have
been eating hazel nuts for ten thousand years at least
(15:04):
to Mesolithic and Neolithic times, when they were an important
food source for hunter gatherers um eaten raw. From what
I read, depending on the species, they are native to Asia, Europe,
and North America. But again it was also localized, so
difficult to track down um. Charred hazel nut remains have
(15:24):
been discovered from Scotland to the Pacific northwest. UM they
were considered sacred and two thousand BC each China and
ancient Greek physician Dus Varieties wrote about the medicinal benefits
of hazel nuts UM and these benefits ranged wildly from
curing a cold to combating baldness, so all kinds of things, okay, yeah,
(15:47):
sure sure, And they were certainly not the the only
people who used hazel nuts medicinally. No, First Nations tribes
and what is now Canada have used beat hazel nut
for thousands of years UM, where they were not only
a staple food source, but the sticks and stems were
important for all kinds of things, from weapons to traps
(16:09):
to baskets. The oily shells were used for fuel, the
nuts as medicine, the roots as a blue dye, and
the hazel bushes were managed by fire. But like it
was very important part to just so many aspects of
life um in that in that area. But yeah, why
(16:29):
are they sometimes called Philbert's I feel like I'm doing
a stand up bit and I don't mean to hear
I would again, I really want to hear from listeners
because I just had never heard of this. Um. But
from what I read, this could very well be apocryphal.
I think it probably is, but you know, maybe the
popular story goes that Philbert's is most likely thanks to
(16:51):
europe Um Frances Sat Philbert's Feast Day, which a celebration
of St. Philbert takes place on August, which is the
same time that hazel nuts are ready to be harvested.
And I guess they became known as Philbert's because of that.
I will. Yeah, we're both doing kind of a shrug motion. Um.
(17:16):
Others think it derives from the German word for full beard,
because that's what a hust hazel nut resembles, also a
shrug emotion. I I guess it looks like like the
little point sort of looks like the point of a beard. Uh.
Certainly before before you husk them, they're very beardy like.
(17:40):
Like I said, they've got all those little leafy bits
that are apparently botanically controversial. Uh. Yeah. The term Philbert
seems to have developed specifically in the British Isles Um,
where indeed hazel nuts are ripe around that time August um,
and there were already celebrations happening vaguely around that time
(18:03):
that involved people and especially kids, going out and harvesting
hazel nuts. Like William Wordsworth wrote a poem about his
fond memories of doing this. Um. He wrote the poem
in like like seventeen nine. Um. The poem is titled
nutting if you want to look it up. That really
hasn't like held up as a title. But but yeah, yeah,
(18:23):
it's a beautiful poem. Well, yes, indeed, that's well yes, Um.
Moving on when it comes to the Pacific Northwest, records
indicate that Oregon has been cultivating the European hazel nuts
since the eighteen hundreds. Uh, they probably were others. They
were definitely others native there. Um oh yeah and yeah
(18:44):
yeah yeah, but the European version since the eighteen hundreds,
and they were being grown in British Columbia by nineteen thirty,
though probably even before that. Um. And again see our
nutella episode. But that's spreadable. Hazel nut and chocolate SAM
was invented in n It was largely the product of
(19:04):
a cocoa shortage during World War Two, so hazel nuts
got supped in. And it probably goes without saying based
on all the other stuff we've already said, but this
was a hugely popular item, still is and as such
has had a huge impact on hazel nut cropping prices.
Like you can't talk about hazel nuts without talking about this. Um.
(19:25):
It also probably goes without saying that there is a
long debated history of combining chocolate and hazel nuts in Europe.
I have to say it overwhelmed me, and I did
not do it because I think it would be a
separate episode. But basically, like people were, people like to
argue about when did this combination first start? Yeah, And
(19:47):
I mean it's one of those things we talked about
this a lot where like probably, um, you know, a
lot of people made that decision independently in different places,
kind of around the same time, because it just sort
of makes sense if you have chocolate and you have
hazel nuts, like, hey, like that would probably be tasted together.
(20:08):
Let's try it. Uh. And also right there there is
we really could do a whole episode about it. There
are a number of like really specific pastries from a
number of different places that incorporate both chocolate and hazel nut. Um,
so yeah, there you go. Yeah, ye, I I saw
the looming list of all these pastries, and I was like, Nope,
(20:32):
I can't handle it right now. But yes, yeah, and
again listeners were soliciting, as always a lot of advice
from you, but if you have experience with that or
favorite or something, just right in and let us know. UM.
The Oregon legislature named the hazel nut the state nut
in nine Okay. Also, in a group of researchers out
(20:57):
of Germany isolated the aforementioned filbertone that hazel nut primary
flavor molecule UM and the lab synthesis of philibertone has
led to increased availability of hazelnut flavored and scented products
that have never seen an actual hazel nut right right,
And filibertone sounds it must be said, like some kind
(21:21):
of like painting a color of paint that I could buy. Yeah,
I mean maybe it is. I could see it, I
could seem sure, mm hmm. In the early two thousands,
the Eastern Filbert blight hit the North American West Coast
hazelnut crop and it was devastating UM. For example, British
(21:41):
Columbia's hazel nuts were destroyed by UM. They're still trying
to recover and have made great strides, but still have
a long way to go. But worth noting some of
the crop native to North America can withstand this fungus. Yeah. Yeah,
So what you're dealing with here is these these imported
(22:01):
European uh, hazel nut trees did not have any kind
of genetic defenses against this this blight that had originated
in native like East Coast American hazel nut trees previously,
and so when that blight spread to the west, they
(22:21):
were just like oops, I'm dead now. Uh. But but
right there, there's a lot of research being done into
how to create hybrids. They're healthier, and it's also a
huge success story in terms of containment because that blight
has not spread out of North America. Wow. Yeah, more
bad news though. Climate change is affecting growing conditions where
(22:47):
hazel nuts are produced, like turkey um, creating higher temperatures
and flooding, and hazelnut prices have increased by over sixty
in the past decade or so due to low supply,
and that is all while demand is up. As of
more candy brands, we're launching hazelnut products like like Lins
(23:10):
hazelnut spread and Eminem's that contain hazel nut butter or
goop or whatever you want to call it. Oh wow,
yeah right, I know, I'm like that sounds delicious. Also,
the pandemic may have pushed demand even higher. People conjecture
(23:30):
that it's due to that, that nostalgia comfort food kind
of thing. As sales of natella in France we're worth
more than any other grocery item. They were worth forty
million euros that year. That's higher than the cost of
even butter, or coffee or toilet paper. Wow wow, yeah,
(23:57):
I mean people love their nutella. I think in that
episode we talked about, because that episode was a while
ago we did it, but I think we were there
was a shortage we talked about in there where people
were fighting over getting natilla. Um yeah, Natila panic, It's real,
it is it is. Um. Well again, listeners, if you've
(24:22):
got any any more information about how hazel nuts are
used in your area, if you've been to a festival
and there's something we're missing, um, please let us know.
But I think that's what we have to say about
hazel nuts for now. I think it is. We do
have some listener mail for you, though, and we are
going to get into that as soon as we get
back from one more quick break forward from our sponsors,
(24:51):
and we're back. Thank you sponsoring, Yes, thank you, and
we're back with listen. Yeah, okay, I was trying to
do like the sound of the shape. That makes sense.
It's also kind of it's kind of smooth and sweet. Yeah, yeah,
(25:15):
I feel kind of. I feel a little more relaxed
after doing it, to be honest. So that's good. That's good. Yeah.
And speaking of oh my goodness, listeners, you continue to astound,
amazed and helpless relaxed because you keep sending in these
amazing pet photos. This is like our whole inboxes this
(25:36):
right now. And I have zero complaints. I do legitimately
feel bad for you listening, but wow, I have no complaints.
Um okay, so Ellen wrote, I know it's well after
Halloween at this point, but I thought you might enjoy
pictures of my dog's Halloween costume. Last year we started
doing a fun run called the Dash of Doom, where
(25:58):
you dress up with your dog and talk slash run
five kilometers. Last year she was a taco in a bag,
and this year she was Pico Montoya and I was physic.
But my costume was much more thrown together. Here are
pictures of both for you to enjoy. I feel like
I might have sent the taco pictures before, so if
(26:20):
I did, I'm sorry. I never apologize. Uh ps, there's
one of my cat Nano in the taco as well.
She didn't get to go on any adventures. She was
just a miserable palindrome. Ha. Okay, these pictures are so cute. Okay,
So if you don't know the Pico Montoya is from
(26:42):
the Princess Bride because Anigo Montoya. Sure, yes, but this
is a small, small dog, perhaps perhaps Chihuahua adjacent. Um,
I'm sorry if if that's I'm sorry if that's super incorrect.
I'm kind of bad at dog breeds. But but yeah,
but she's got she's got a good little way big
um and a little saber and a little speech bubble
(27:06):
that says, hello, my name is Pico Montoya. You killed
my father, prepared to die, and I'll say that you're
you're physic costume like could lean Jedi. But but it's
I think it's clear next to Inigo or next to
Pico Montoya here, I think it's clear what you had going. Yes,
and it's excellent. It's fantastic and I love it. Also,
(27:31):
the cat in the taco, I mean, I'm biased because
this cat reminds me distinctly of my own gray cat,
because because he's got a little white bib and the
little white sox. Um. But oh but nano, little little
nano taco staring off despondently, like, why have you done this?
(27:52):
It's for this very reason, because we think it's cute, sucker,
and you don't have a posable thumbs. What are you
gonna do about it? Ums? Sheldon wrote, Uh, not wearing
Halloween costumes, but Christmas stuff. The first picture is tet
pool uh. And the next is Napoleon. And then since
(28:15):
it's Christmas time, the cats playing in the snow uh.
And so yes, we've got We've got chicken little tea
tea pool or chicken little dressed in a little Santa
cap and a little a little scarf or muff, perhaps
(28:35):
looking looking like he hates you and everything else on
the planet deeply, which I find very endearing. Mildly annoying
cats is kind of my reason for existing. Um uh.
(28:57):
And then Napoleon also looking actually very handsome and pleased
with himself, and in his little little rough um and
then yeah, balancing so beautifully on on a snowy roof,
looking like they are just having the best times of
their little cat lives. It's so good, so good, oh
(29:18):
my gosh, so much joy you have brought us on
this day, this very special life day. So thank you, yes,
thank you. I did not I did not know I
was going to encounter a cat named chicken little Oh
my gosh, and looking so frustrated and very best. It
(29:38):
is absolutely best. Um, Yes, thank you so much to
both of these listeners. If you would like to write
to us, you can. Our email is Hello at favor
pod dot com. We're also on social media. You can
find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at savor pod,
and we do hope to hear from you. Savor is
a production of my Heart Radio. For more podcasts my
(30:00):
Heart Radio, you can visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagin and
Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope
that lots more good things are coming your way.
Savor News
Hosts And Creators
Anney Reese
Lauren Vogelbaum
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