All Hail the Queen…of the Hazelnuts

Piedmont, Italy’s Tonda Gentile

 

So special is the Tonda Gentile, Northern Italy’s prized hazelnut, that it is the first product of the Piedmont region to hold a protected status, a kind of elite food patent called the Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) bestowed by the European Union.  It’s not enough to be round, plump and fragrant. The Tonda Gentile, whose qualities are recognized by gourmets all over the world, has an unusually tasty and sweet flavor that makes it sought after in the world’s most delectable and nutty confections.  More expensive than other varieties, the Tonda Gentile, justifiably the “Queen of Hazelnuts,” is known for being bigger, plumper and more uniform, with a skin that sheds with ease, allowing for toasting without the bitter taste and yielding perfection for candymakers who want to use whole nuts.    Rich, crunchy, sweet, smooth, earthy,  elegant, and unmistakable to the discerning palate, the Tonda Gentile is  nut nirvana.

 

The Langhe, an area of rural hills and picturesque villages in Southern Piedmont, provides the perfect climate for this perfect nut: cool nights, sunny days, naturally well-irrigated soil, and a plethora of small birch trees known as Corylus avellana.  The care and attention provided by the region’s long-standing family farms, coupled with these elite growing conditions, cultivate a hazelnut coveted world-wide and used religiously in Piedmont cuisines and confections.  Their deeply-seated role in Piedmont culture and society is not only about taste, but also business and pride.  The Tonda Gentile accounts for more than half of the hazelnuts cultivated in Piedmont, a region that produces 14,000 tons per year grown in about 190 Northern Italian locations.

 

How Hazelnuts are Used…and Enjoyed

 

The Hazelnut finds its way into all kinds of good eating.  The confectionary industry is the most obvious place and largest consumer of Piedmont’s prized Tonda Gentile.  Simple and heavenly desserts such as mousses, cakes, chocolates and soufflés capture its nutty essence.  Its addictive flavor has made its namesake dessert, Torta di Nocciole, a rapturously light and flavorful hazelnut and cocoa cake, an indulgence so loved that some local pasticcerias have dedicated their livelihoods solely to this one hazelnut delight.  The perfect capstone to a meal served with a light, chilled Asti, the best Torta de Nocciole is found in Cortemilia, a small medieval town that hosts the Hazelnut Festival during the last two weeks of August. 

 

A sumptuous ingredient for mouth-watering brittles and homemade ice cream, and the honey-sweet nougat torrone, the Tonda Gentile is also happily found in gianduja pastes (hazelnut and chocolate spreads).  Made famous to the masses by the region’s beloved and birthed Nutella, locally handmade Gianduja (pronounced jan-doo-jah) is created by folding a ground paste of fresh Tonda Gentile into the finest local chocolate, creating a coveted sweet spread that is 34% hazelnuts. 

 

Beyond the dessert tray, the Tonda Gentile also appears in Piedmont liquors, like the world-famous Frangelico, and adds an exotic, sweet, nutty and crunchy texture to pasta, sauces, jams, breads, stuffing and as a coating for poultry, fish and meat.   The unique, alluring aroma of the Tonda Gentile has also led to some more unexpected uses, including in cosmetics, soaps, scents and medicines.  Even when standing alone, the Tonda Gentile is distinctive and definitely memorable.

 

Not Your Average Fruit

 

The Tonda Gentile is actually categorized as a fruit, boasting rare food qualities and rich in nutritional benefits including vitamins (E, A and C), iron, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium.  They are also an excellent source of protein, fiber, healthy unsaturated fatty acids, anti oxidants and are cholesterol free.