Nuts

Nuts many of our nuts come from the Mediterranean – the best hazelnuts from Avellino, in Italy, and the best walnuts from Sorrento, not far away, and from France and Turkey. There are almonds everywhere. Pistachio nuts with their purple skin and green flesh are often sold in their shells for nibbling, like sunflower and other seeds: seed and nut sellers are often placed near bus stops with a trail of discarded husks on the pavement leading away from them. Pine kernels, whitish cream and waxy, come from the cones of the stone pine, Pinus pinea. They are expensive, and people sometimes substitute walnuts (in Pesto sauce) or almonds, which do not have the right flavour or texture at all.