CENTA | The Combined Edible Nut Trade Association

Pistachio	Almond	Pecan	Cashewnut
Walnut	Hazelnut	Macadamia	Brazilnut

The Pistachio (Pistachio Vera)

The pistachio is one of the oldest edible nuts being know for over 10,000 years. It originated in South East Asia and today the principal producing countries are Iran, Turkey, U.S.A, Greece and Italy. It has a characteristic green colour and the shell opens naturally at the more pointed end which has attracted the name "smiling pistachio" in Iran. They are mainly used as snacks (roasted and salted) and in confectionery/ice cream.

The Almond (Prunus Amygdalus)

The almond originated in Western Asia and gradually spread to the warm and dry regions of the Mediterranean. Later it was introduced to California where it has assumed great importance. The principal producing countries are the USA, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. It is used in confectionery (marzipan, nougat etc) and also marketed as a snack (salted).

The Pecan (Carya Illinoinenis, of the Juglandaceae family)

The pecan is the most important nut tree native to the North American Continent. 95% of the world supply comes from N. America. There are four main varieties, Stuart, Western Schley, Desirable and Native. These account for 75% of the market product. The main market is for decorating cookies, candies, cakes etc. and as an appetising addition to snack mixes.

The cashew is indigenous to South America but was introduced as a soil binding tree to the West Coast of India by Portugese traders in the 16th century. It didn't become important in international trade until the early 1920's. The cashew is a multi purpose tree well suited to poor sandy soils and thriving in areas unfit for other crops. It tolerates high temperatures and drought but not colder poorly drained areas. The cashew fruit consists of two distinct parts, a fleshy part called the "cashew apple" with a brilliant yellow or red skin measuring 5-10 cm and a kidney shaped nut of grey/brown colour which hangs from the lower end of the apple and from which the kernel is extracted. The main product is the cashew nut, rich in carbohydrates and vitamin A. The main use is as salted nuts in the snack food market. The principal producing countries are India, Brazil, Mozambique and Vietnam.

The Walnut (Juglans Regia)

The walnut, originally named in honour of Jupiter by the Romans, have been recognised as the oldest tree food known to man. Sometimes known as "English" walnuts in reference to the merchants who once transported them around the world, historians prefer the name "Persian" believing that walnuts originated in ancient Persia (Iran). Main areas of supply today are California, China and India.

The hazel, also known as the Filbert, was theoretically named after the French saint Philibert whose holy day August 22nd corresponds to the ripening of the earliest hazelnuts in England. They first appeared in Europe after the Ice Age and reigned as the dominant vegetation for thousands of years. Today this same hazelnut thrives in the costal regions of the Black Sea in Turkey, The Mediterranean Sea in Italy and Spain and the Pacific Ocean in the Northern USA, the common factor being a mild marine climate.

The Macadamia

The macadamia is a native tree of Australia which bears clusters of small white flowers and round edible nuts. It was named after an Australian chemist John Macadam (D1865). Commercial cultivation started in 1858 and was introduced to Hawaii in 1882. It is marketed as a snack and in confectionery. The principal producing countries are U.S.A. (Hawaii), Australia and Kenya.

The Brazilnut (Bertholletia Excelsa)

The brazilnut, also know as the Amazon nut, is truly a native of its only growing area, The Amazon basin. All efforts to grow the tree elsewhere (eg. Malaya, Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc) have failed because the brazil nut is part of the complicated eco system. Only one type of bee can pollinate the flower and this bee needs the Amazon forest to survive. The brazil nut tree grows to between 30 and 50 metres and only in the lighter and drier parts of the forest. The lower trunk is one and a half metres in diameter. Flowering occurs at the end of the year and it takes more than a year for the fruit to ripen and drop to the ground. This nut is like a ball about 5" in diameter and similar to a coconut which contains 12 to 21 nuts with the familiar triangular cross section with flat sides and sharp edges packed together like a citrus fruit. The brazilnut is rich in digestible fats, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin B. It is marketed in both inshell and kernels where it is used raw, salted and also in chocolate and other confectionery.

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