Of the 20,000 tonnes of hazelnuts that the French consume each year, a large part is used in the making of a famous spread. This presence in Ferrero’s legendary recipe should not however overshadow all the benefits of hazelnuts …
IDENTITY RECORD
Name : Hazelnut
Family: Betulaceae
Scientific name : Corylus avellana
Hazelnut varieties: Pauetet, Merveille de Bolwiller
Caloric value: 630 kcal / 100 g
High season: August – October (calendar)
Producers: Turkey, Italy, France
France: Corsica, Pyrénées-Orientales, Aquitaine
Storage: to enjoy the benefits of hazelnuts, store the fruit for 2 days in the refrigerator (fresh) or up to 4 months at room temperature (dry)
Star among the oleaginous fruits, the hazelnut, fruit of the hazelnut tree, is at the same time delicious, nourishing and satiating. It is a dry, hard-shelled fruit like walnut or pistachio. In its green shell which turns brown when ripe, the hazelnut contains an oval seed or rounded with a subtle flavor. It is both rich in fiber and high quality vegetable proteins.
What do we find in hazelnuts?
Rich in antioxidants (vitamin E, tannins, and flavonoids), the hazelnut helps to fight against free radicals, thus prevents the aging cells, certain cancers and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases …
Among the other benefits of the hazelnut, it offers monounsaturated fats of excellent quality which would have an impact on the cardiovascular health. Researchers have shown that the consumption of hazelnuts as well as almonds and walnuts can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) levels by up to 7%.
Hazelnuts are high in fiber and improve digestion by regulating the intestinal transit. They are very rich in magnesium
On a mineral level, hazelnuts are very rich in manganese and copper. It also provides iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamins E, B1 and B6. The hazelnut is, in this sense, a superfood must be included in vegetarian diets.
What about when you are on a diet?
Despite their high caloric value, hazelnuts are absolutely not to be banished when watching your figure. Their high fiber content and low glycemic index make them very filling.
In addition, their exceptional content of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants make them a very healthy snack. We can therefore quite afford some benefits of hazelnuts, at the rate of a handful per day, when following a slimming diet.
A tip for enjoying the benefits of hazelnuts
Tasting hazelnuts can be complicated because of the skin that recouvre the seed. Fortunately, there is a very simple trick to remove the thin film of skin that covers the hazelnuts.
Once the hazelnuts have been shelled using a nutcracker, put them in a dish that you are going to bake for ten minutes at 180 ° C. When the hazelnuts have started to brown, take them out of the oven and place them in a tea towel that you close.
Let them cool. Then, grab the tea towel filled with hazelnuts and rub it vigorously for a few minutes. When you open the tea towel, the hazelnuts will be stripped of their thin film, ready for tasting!
Read also:
The benefits of coconut for memory
The antioxidant power of hazelnuts
The benefits of nuts against pain
The almond is good for the line, does that surprise you?
The benefits of chestnuts for vitality
The top 10 oleaginous fruits
Honey roasted hazelnuts recipe
Ingredients for 6 people:
300 g of hazelnuts
3 tablespoons of honey
1 C. teaspoon sea salt
Instructions :
- Preheat your oven to 150 ° C.
- Put the hazelnuts in a colander and quickly run them under cold water to moisten them.
- Distribute them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with fleur de sel and bake for 15 minutes.
- Pour the honey into a saucepan and heat it to make it runny. Add the roasted hazelnuts and mix constantly until the honey takes on a nice caramel color.
- Distribute the caramelized hazelnuts on a baking sheet, spacing them well apart. Sprinkle with fleur de sel again.
- You can store these caramelized hazelnuts in a glass jar for 2-3 days, but they are best the same day.
