kinder bueno, ferrero rocher, nutella.
what’s the one thing they have in common other than being sinfully delicious snacks? Hazelnuts.
the company that owns all three snack brands, ferrero spa., uses 25% of the world’s hazelnut supply :0
nut just a food
Hazelnut refers to the nut of the hazel plant. While the nut is the most well known part of the plant, hazel has had a long relationship with mankind spanning back thousands of years. From firewood to construction, the hazel tree has provided more for us than just Nutella. Hazelnut oil, which is not excessively greasy, can be used for cosmetic purposes too.
fats, the good sort
Not all fats are created equal. Nuts are generally high in calories and fats but offer plenty of nutrition and health benefits. The high concentration of healthy fats in hazelnuts have even been linked to the reduction of inflammation. Some other foods that are high in healthy fats include avocados, salmon and olive oil.
turkish delight
While the company that uses 25% of the world’s hazelnuts is from Italy, the largest producer is actually Turkey, accounting for a whopping 65% of the world’s supply in 2017. Hazelnuts are also found in premium varieties of Turkish Delights (Turkish sweet treats).
wisdom from Dioscorides
The Greek physician and pharmacologist who wrote De materia medica, the foremost classical source of modern botanical terminology and the leading pharmacological text for 16 centuries, claimed that hazelnuts cured chronic coughs if eaten with honey, and the common cold if mixed with black pepper. He even claimed that it could cure baldness when crushed, mixed with suet (animal fat) and smeared on the head. Let us know how that goes if you ever try it.
adulteration
With a huge and growing global demand for olive oil, adulteration has become a problem in the industry, where cheaper oils are mixed in to bring down costs. Hazelnut oil is one of the options for the adulteration of olive oil. However, there is one component found in hazelnut oil that is not present in olive oil - filbertone. Because of that difference, regulators can test olive oils for filbertone to see whether they have been adulterated with hazelnut oil.