Hazelnut Recognize freshness with shake test

Many a garden owner is busy these days to secure this year's hazelnut harvest. And in the food trade, hazelnuts in all forms are being used as seasonal produce. After all, they are especially sought after in the weeks before Christmas.
The cracking of whole unpeeled nuts, the ghosts are different: For some it is a ritual, for the others a tedious preparation in the kitchen. The brown, woody fruit wall is best tackled with a pincer nutcracker. And if a copy stubbornly defends itself, it will be in the freezer for an hour. After that, the opening is much easier, as the shell becomes brittle.

Recognize the freshness of hazelnuts by shaking test. Image: Dionisvera - fotolia

Who does not nibble the nuts as a whole or decoratively put on the pastry or use in the salad, they need in crushed form. Since the handle is close to the bag with planed or ground nuts. In cinnamon stars, gingerbread, macaroons and fruit bread hazelnuts set the direction. But also in the venison and in the muffins, fruit salad or cereal, rice salad with grapes or in pasta salad with broccoli, as a crust on the venison back medallions or roasted as part of spaetzle or pasta dough they look good.

No matter in what form they are enjoyed - hazelnuts have it all. "Thanks in part to their content of vitamin E, various B bitamines, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals, they are an important part of a healthy diet," says Harald Seitz, a nutritionist at aid info service. Nevertheless, you should not overdo it with the nut enjoyment, because the fruits contain plenty of fat (61.9%) and thus also a lot of calories. "With 644 kilocalories per hundred grams, they are at least eliminated as a 'slimming agent'," says Seitz. The fat of hazelnut consists mainly of unsaturated fatty acids and are therefore also very nutritionally valuable.

The two most important types of hazelnut - the rounded cellern nuts and the slightly larger, elongated lamb's nuts - have a slightly different taste: Lamb's nuts are more aromatic and slightly sweeter. In addition, there are mixed forms. When purchasing, however, this knowledge is rather secondary, because very seldom the consumer has the choice between different types.

Fruits for the German trade come primarily from Turkey. Look closely at nuts in the shell. "Their freshness can be detected by means of a shaking test," advises Harald Seitz. "Old, dried-up hazelnuts clatter in the shell." At home, the dried fruits are portioned in sacks or nets that are not too big. They can be stored for months in a dry, airy, warm and mouse-proof place. However, the mild-aromatic taste is most pronounced right after maturity. (Eva Neumann, aid)