Nuts I've Eaten

peanuts, almonds, cashews, filberts (hazelnuts), Brazil nuts, macadamias, California (English) walnuts, black walnuts, pistachios, pecans, chestnuts, pine (pignolia), coconut.

Some interesting things about nuts:

Peanuts: It is rare to find one with 3 nuts in the shell. But I have had as many as 5 nuts in one shell!

Brazil nuts: The nuts grow inside a hard, woody fruit rather like a coconut shell. When it is broken open, you might find as many as 24 nuts inside.

Cashews: Some people think they have no shells because you never see them in the store with their shells. The truth is that the shells are very caustic. Nobody would buy them more than once in the shell. More about cashews later.

Chestnuts: Roasted on an open fire or not, blech.

Coconuts: My father could not swallow coconut. One time he tried to eat a cookie that unbeknownst to him, had coconut in it. After chewing it for a long while, he ended up with a wad of coconut in his mouth!

Filberts: According to one web site I found, filberts are similar to but NOT the same as hazelnuts. Go figure.

Macadamia: From Hawaii. Yes, but they are native to Australia.

Pecans: Come from the state tree of Texas. There are numerous varieties. Good in Chinese stir fry if deep fried for a short time. Top the Chinese dish with the nuts. Use some hoisin sauce.

Pine Nuts come from numerous types of pine trees. They are good on pizza with ground lamb and feta cheese on a spinach crust. Maybe a little cinnamon.