Hazelnuts rank high on the list of delicious yet difficult to describe foods, joining truffles in the exalted pantheon of sophisticated products redolent of earth. What do the black truffle, a variety of fungus, and the hazelnut, a fruit of the Corylus plant, more commonly known as the hazel tree, have in common? Both possess elusive flavors that elicit thoughts of summer’s end and the approach of winter. For instance, the taste of hazelnut includes fruity overtones, toasted brioche, vanilla, caramel, and muskiness on the back of the palate. When that specific aroma combination blossoms in the mouth, the lucky gourmand feels a heady hit of pure autumn rupturing throughout his or her skull. For example, I eat a hazelnut and smell dead leaves crumbling in dry October air, the pages of a musty book, coffee and woodsmoke on an early November morning, and the sour perfume of dying flowers in September.

The sensual pleasure of hazelnuts derives from a chemical known as filbertone, and indeed, one might find hazelnuts marketed under the name filberts, especially in Britain. Although at one point production of hazelnuts primarily occurred in Britain and Italy, according to The Penguin Companion to Food by Alan Davidson, Turkey cultivates the greatest quantity of hazelnuts today. However, the Italian variety known as Tonda Gentile delle Langhe from Piedmont is my personal favorite; interestingly, Piedmont also famously produces white truffles, a particularly rare subtype of the fungus. In the United States, Oregon functions as the main hazelnut supplier.

Nutritionally, hazelnuts contain unusual levels of healthful unsaturated fats, B vitamins, vitamin E, and magnesium, at least according to the Hazelnut Council. Rather amusingly, the Hazelnut Council explicitly refers to the nut as a “superfood” possessing the second highest amount of Proanthocyanidin, a powerful antioxidant, of any nut.

At this point I would like to briefly comment on the term “superfood.” A substantial controversy has arisen over the past several years regarding the use of the word as a marketing gimmick, especially when referencing strange foodstuffs like acai berries. Sales may skyrocket if companies refer to their products as containing “superfoods,” as the public immediately assumes such foods will significantly improve their health. First, even if a “superfood” is laden with enormous quantities of certain nutrients, an excess level of various water soluble vitamins are not absorbed by the body. Second, the role of certain antioxidants like beta carotene in bodily processes is unproven and may actually be detrimental. My message here is not to approach superfoods with outright cynicism, but rather to eat a balanced and widely varied diet, and to consider wild nutrition claims with skepticism. (For more information, see Amelia Hill’s article viewable at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/may/13/health.healthandwellbeing1).

Versatile, hazelnuts may appear in both savory and sweet dishes. Traditionally paired with game meats, hazelnuts also work well in tomato or olive oil based sauces like those of Spain or Southern Italy. Personally, I find hazelnuts more appealing in desserts, where they shine against the backdrop of chocolate. Gianduja, an Italian mixture of hazelnut paste and chocolate, tastes so incredibly smooth and complex that my first ever bite left me breathless. The name comes from a Commedia dell’Arte character, a comic gastronome oftentimes performed as a marionette.

In the Morningside Heights neighborhood, try the hazelnut milkshake at Deluxe, a silky confection that comes in the traditional metal cup. A delicate hazelnut note lingers on the tongue over the course of the half-hour necessary to consume the enormous treat, and for hazelnut lovers, this rare shake is definitely not to be missed.