Hazelnut

Hazelnuts, also known as filberts and cobnuts, are grown throughout Europe; Turkey and Italy are the largest producers. The distinctive flavor is much improved by toasting, which is also the easiest way to remove most of the nut’s skin. Hazelnuts are used in cakes, cookies, candies, and pastries; finely ground hazelnuts are used in linzer dough and in place of flour in some tortes. They are also used to make hazelnut paste, an important flavoring agent.