Shelled Sicilian hazelnut

The hazelnut (Corylus avellana) is a plant belonging to the very ancient Betulaceae family , which lives and bears fruit in the wild throughout Europe, especially on the hills and mountain slopes, along paths and streams. In its natural state, the hazel takes on a bushy appearance, with a maximum height of 5-6 m. The leaves are oval-heart-shaped with a serrated margin, about 6-10 cm wide. The flowering period for the hazel is certainly "out of season", as it occurs in the middle of winter. The fruit (the well-known hazelnut) is wrapped in bracts from which it is released when ripe. It is used both in food and in the color industry and in perfumery.

Cultivation is located in four main areas: one of the most important is located on the southern coast of the Black Sea , the second in Italy , the third in Spain and the fourth in western North America .

Hazelnuts are generally eaten dried and lightly toasted to make it easier to remove the surface film and to further develop the aromas they contain.

The major users of hazelnuts are the Swiss (2 kg/person per year), who use them as an ingredient for chocolate.

Every year in Massaquano (NA) on December 12, for the eve of Saint Lucia, the traditional and centuries-old throwing of hazelnuts is held from the roof of the church, adopted as a symbol of the pupils of the eyes, in honor of the saint patroness of sight.

The name of the genus comes from the Greek κορις = helmet, due to the shape of the involucre which covers the fruit, or from kurl, Celtic name of the plant, while the epithet of the avellana species comes from Avella, a city famous since antiquity for the goodness of its hazelnuts. The hazel was among the first fruit trees used and then cultivated by man to satisfy his food needs: its appearance in the Mediterranean and the Balkans dates back to prehistoric times, it is one of the main tree species that have colonized the lands it emerged after the last glaciation (10,000 years ago), therefore long before the olive tree and the vine.

The deepening of cultivation and propagation techniques took place as early as the 4th century BC, but the cultivation and diffusion of the most interesting varieties for production and commercial purposes only took place after 1900, when it began to be cultivated intensively.

Turkey , with about 800,000 tons, is the world's leading producer (over 70%) and the international reference price of hazelnuts depends directly on production fluctuations and exports from this country. Italy is the second largest producer, with over 110,000 tons: the quality of Italian hazelnuts is internationally recognized; in particular the round fruit varieties, such as the Tonda gentile trilobata in Piedmont and the Tonda gentile romana in the Viterbo area, represent qualitative excellence that determine a price in themselves. The major users of hazelnuts are the Swiss (2 kg/person/year), who use them as an ingredient in chocolate.

The most extensive hazelnut cultivations are located in Turkey, Italy and Spain, respectively with 379,000, 68,348 and 22,600 hectares in 2005; these surfaces together make up over 85% of the world's hazelnut groves. Analyzing the average unitary yields per hectare, it is observed that the USA holds the record with 3.78 tons equal to more than double the European average; this is mainly due to the massive mechanization of American hazelnut cultivation and the high use of fertilizers and plant protection products. France and Georgia achieved yields of 2 tons, followed by Turkey and Italy with 1.88 and 1.74 tons respectively. In Asia, as well as in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Uzbekistan, and part of Turkey, hazelnut growing is present in Iran and China with production sizes of 24,000 tons each. With regard to the international market, Italy is second after Turkey for the export of shelled hazelnuts, the form in which marketing mainly takes place. In the two-year period 1995-96, only 2.4% of world production was exported in shell.