Hazelnut

Posted by David Lanphier on April 12, 2002

In Reply to: Hazelnut posted by Bruce Kahl on February 06, 2002

My understanding is that "hazel nut " is only recently used to help market the nut. We used to call them "filberts" and I have read that is because they are harvested on the feast of St. Philibert or August 22( per Harold McGee On Food And Cooking): : : : I know that it isn't a phrase but I can't for the life of me find the latin translation for the word "hazelnut". Can anyone help? Thanks.

: : : I'm no expert on nuts - as has been proved in pervious discussions, however I do know that the Latin name for the Hazel itself is Corylua Avellana.

: : : Maybe someone else can help with the nut part.

: : : Camel

: : From the 1934 Webster's unabridged:
: : "Hazel" derives, through a series of forms in different languages, from the Latin "corylus." (Not clear what the referent of "corylus" is; maybe the shrub.) "Corylus" is also the genus name. The European species is C. avellana; the U.S. species is C. americana.
: : Latin for nut is "nux" or "nucis."

: .....so "hazelnut" would be literally the "nut of hazel" or
: "nux coryli".