Hazelnuts — Avellanas

My family is from Córdoba, the main hazelnut-growing area in Spain and, as a result, we were brought up always cracking our nuts as we needed them. Those who have had really good fresh hazelnuts will understand that they truly are little morsels of joy. Ready for harvest at the end of autumn, they are nutty but with no residual sensation of fat or oil and with just a little grip on the palate. To me, hazelnuts are a gustatory bright spot before the long grey winter.

Nuts in the shell have had less chance to oxidize and are difficult to crack. But this is the price we pay for having a love of fine food. Some hazelnuts, particularly supermarket hazelnuts, are not just stale — they are rancid. Middle Eastern shops and some nut specialists in the city markets have a good range of fresh nuts. Hazelnuts are also making a welcome appearance at farmers’ markets in the southern states of Australia.