A filbert is a hazelnut, the sweet, round nut of the hazel tree. The odd-sounding name has a story behind it, one that involves a medieval saint and, much later, export buyers who didn’t recognize the word.1Merriam-Webster. Definition of FILBERT2Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that?
Where the Name Filbert Comes From
Hazel trees are common in England, and their nuts ripen in late summer.3Merriam-Webster. Definition of FILBERT The feast day of a French saint named Philibert fell right around the time people were picking them.4Merriam-Webster. Definition of FILBERT After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Normans called the hazel’s nut ‘philber’ after the saint, and English eventually borrowed the word as ‘filbert’.5Merriam-Webster. Definition of FILBERT
Not everyone is sure the saint story is right. Some sources only say the name is believed to come from him.6Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that? No medieval writer is known to have stated the link outright, so the saint is the leading explanation, not a settled fact.
‘Hazel’ is the older, plain name. It’s the native English word for the tree itself, while ‘filbert’ arrived as the French-flavored word for its nut. ‘Filbert’ lived alongside ‘hazel’ and ‘hazelnut’ and was never fully replaced by them.
Filbert, Hazelnut, or Cobnut, Is There a Difference
A hazelnut is the fruit of any hazel tree, most often the European hazel.7Wikipedia. Hazelnut These nuts are also called cobnuts or filberts, depending on the type of tree.8Wikipedia. Hazelnut A cobnut is roughly round to oval, about 1.5 to 2.5 centimetres (5/8 to 1 inch) long.9Wikipedia. Hazelnut A filbert in the strict sense is longer, about twice as long as it is wide.10Wikipedia. Hazelnut Each nut grows inside a fibrous outer husk around a smooth shell.11Wikipedia. Hazelnut In the shop, a bag labelled filberts and one labelled hazelnuts can be used the same way in any recipe.
Shelled kernels are hard to sort by shape, and most buyers never need to. Shape doesn’t change how you cook or store them.
Botanists and shoppers draw these lines in different places. Many hazel trees, wild and cultivated, produce nuts of varying shapes, so shape alone doesn’t split them into clean groups. Using ‘filbert’ for long nuts and ‘cobnut’ for round ones is a loose tradition, and plenty of long nuts are simply sold as hazelnuts.
You’re most likely to meet ‘cobnut’ in Britain, on market stalls and in food writing about English nut growing. On a menu or label it just means a hazelnut, usually a fresh, round one.
One mix-up is worth avoiding. Witch hazel is a different shrub, used in skin toners, and it isn’t a nut tree. It shares the word ‘hazel’ but gives no edible hazelnuts, though you shouldn’t assume any ‘hazel’ product is free of nuts or nut allergens without reading the label.
Why Oregon Switched From Filbert to Hazelnut
Oregon grows 99% of the hazelnuts produced in the United States.12Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Eastern Filbert Blight Resistance in Hazelnut Accessions ‘Culplà’, ‘Crvenje’, and OSU 495.072 As exports to Europe grew, Oregon processors began using ‘hazelnut’ interchangeably with ‘filbert’ on packaging.13Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that? In Europe the nut was called hazelnut, not filbert.14Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that? As the story goes, some overseas customers were so confused that they sent ‘filbert’ shipments back.15Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that? So in 1981 the Oregon Filbert Commission chose to emphasize ‘hazelnut’ and later renamed itself the Oregon Hazelnut Commission.16Statesman Journal. Oregon’s state nut has two different names. Why is that?17filberts.com. The History of Festivals & Hazelnuts The returned-shipments tale can’t be verified; what’s firmly known is that the industry’s name was changed to match what export markets said.
The change was a branding decision more than a correction. A label saying ‘filbert’ was fine at home, where everyone knew the word, but it gave overseas buyers no clue what was inside.
That’s why many older Americans still say filbert. People who grew up before the 1980s often learned that word first, older Pacific Northwest recipes and cookbooks may use it, and some local festivals and businesses keep the old name. Either word is correct.
How Filberts Are Eaten and Used
Only 5 to 10% of the world’s hazelnuts are sold still in the shell, mostly between Thanksgiving and Christmas.18Acta Horticulturae. World Hazelnut Production and Cultivars The other 90 to 95% are cracked and the kernels sold to bakers, candy makers, and other processors.19Acta Horticulturae. World Hazelnut Production and Cultivars They flavor cakes such as Viennese hazelnut torte, pralines, chocolates, liqueurs, and spreads like Nutella.20Molecule of the Month. Filbertone They’re also often added to ice cream, cookies, and other baked goods, usually roasted.21Oregon State University Library. Flavor Chemistry of Roasted Filberts (Corylus avellana)
In a chocolate spread, hazelnut is one ingredient among others, sugar included, so the label shows how much nut you’re really getting. Pralines and tortes use ground or chopped roasted nuts, which add richness and a toasted flavor. Hazelnut also pairs naturally with chocolate, coffee, and fruit such as pears, which is why so many desserts combine them.
Roasting is what creates the flavor. Dry-roasting produces new aroma compounds that raw nuts don’t have, including buttery, popcorn-like, malty, and caramel notes.22PubMed Central. Corylus avellana L. Aroma Blueprint: Potent Odorants Signatures in the Volatilome of High Quality Hazelnuts Spread shelled nuts on a tray and roast them in a moderate oven until they smell fragrant and look lightly browned. Watch closely, because nuts burn quickly once they start to color. Then rub the warm nuts in a clean towel to loosen the papery skins. A bit of skin left on is fine and safe to eat.
Hazelnuts are also pressed for oil, used in salad dressings and cooking. It has a nutty flavor, so small amounts go a long way.
The shell matters when you buy. In-shell nuts keep their flavor well until cracked, but you pay for the shell weight and have to crack each one yourself. Shelled kernels are convenient for baking, and they’re the form bakers and candy makers buy.
Filbert Nutrition and Heart Health
Raw hazelnuts are about 60% fat by weight and contain no cholesterol.23PubMed Central. Phytoextracts for Human Health from Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and from Hazelnut Skin and Oil: A Narrative Review Most of that fat is the same monounsaturated fat that is the main fat in olive oil.24PubMed Central. Phytoextracts for Human Health from Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and from Hazelnut Skin and Oil: A Narrative Review Hazelnuts have more of it than almonds, macadamias, pistachios, or walnuts.25PubMed Central. Phytoextracts for Human Health from Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and from Hazelnut Skin and Oil: A Narrative Review They’re also rich in vitamin E and potassium.26PubMed Central. Phytoextracts for Human Health from Raw and Roasted Hazelnuts and from Hazelnut Skin and Oil: A Narrative Review Exact amounts vary quite a bit from one variety to another.27Horticulturae. Assessment of Fatty Acid Composition, Bioactive Compounds, and Mineral Composition in Hazelnut Genetic Resources: Implications for Nutritional Value and Breeding Programs
Across small trials, a hazelnut-enriched diet modestly lowered LDL, the ‘bad’ cholesterol.28PubMed Central. Effects of Hazelnut Consumption on Blood Lipids and Body Weight: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-Analysis Body weight and triglycerides didn’t change.29PubMed Central. Effects of Hazelnut Consumption on Blood Lipids and Body Weight: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Meta-Analysis In men with high cholesterol, a hazelnut diet raised HDL, the ‘good’ cholesterol, by about 13% compared with their starting level.30PubMed. Effects of hazelnut-enriched diet on plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein profiles in hypercholesterolemic adult men
‘Modestly’ is the important word. The results describe a small average improvement in LDL, not a dramatic drop, and the studies were small, so they suggest a benefit rather than prove one for everyone. People with high cholesterol who take medication should treat nuts as part of an overall diet, not a substitute for treatment.
A typical serving is a small handful, about 28 grams or roughly 20 nuts. They’re high in fat, so they’re also high in calories. Swapping nuts in for less healthy fats can help, while nuts added on top just add calories. Plain nuts beat chocolate spreads, which are mostly sugar.
Filbert Allergy
People truly allergic to hazelnut itself can have whole-body reactions or anaphylaxis after eating it.31PubMed Central. Natural History of Hazelnut Allergy and Current Approach to Its Diagnosis and Treatment Filbert, hazelnut, and cobnut all mean the same allergen on a label, so anyone with a known tree nut allergy should treat filberts as hazelnuts. Someone scanning an ingredient list for ‘hazelnut’ only could miss one that says ‘filbert,’ so it helps to know both words. In many places tree nuts must be declared on labels, but the exact wording rules differ, so reading the full list is still wise.
Reactions range widely. Some people, often those with birch pollen allergy, get an itchy mouth from raw nuts only, and roasted nuts are sometimes better tolerated in that group. Hives, swelling, breathing trouble, or vomiting signal a serious reaction that needs emergency care. An allergist can test which type of reaction you have.
Hazelnut turns up in unexpected places. Check pralines, nougat, gianduja, and chocolate spreads. Hazelnut oil and flavorings appear in desserts and liqueurs. In bakeries, ask about cross-contact, which is common.
Where Filberts Grow and How They’re Harvested
Turkey supplies about 70% of the world’s hazelnuts.32DergiPark. Assessing Türkiye’s Competitive Position in the Global Hazelnut Trade: Trends, Opportunities, and Strategic Outcomes Yields there swing a lot with local weather and climate.33Agriculture. Mid-Term Impact of Climate Change on Hazelnut Yield Hazel trees flower in winter, so cold snaps or a bad spring can reduce how many nuts form. Because one country supplies most of the crop, a poor year there can affect supply and prices elsewhere.
Ripe nuts drop, and they’re usually collected from the ground by machine.34Journal of Central European Agriculture. Hazelnut postharvest technology: A review Machines cut labor and harvest cost sharply compared with picking by hand.35Research Square. Work Efficiency, Labor Requirement and Harvesting Costs of Mechanical and Pneumatic Hazelnut Harvesters Nuts must then be dried to about 7 to 10% moisture in the shell, at no more than 50 °C.36Journal of Central European Agriculture. Hazelnut postharvest technology: A review Nuts from the ground carry moisture, and if they stay damp they can grow mold and spoil. Drying too hot can damage flavor and quality, which is why the temperature limit matters. Once the moisture is right, nuts can be stored for months before being sold or cracked.
A fungal disease called eastern filbert blight infects hazel trees, cuts yields, and can kill them.37Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Eastern Filbert Blight Resistance in Hazelnut Accessions ‘Culplà’, ‘Crvenje’, and OSU 495.072 It has long limited hazelnut growing in the eastern United States.38HortTechnology. Flowering Phenology of Eastern Filbert Blight-resistant Hazelnut Accessions in New Jersey Resistant varieties such as Yamhill, Jefferson, Eta, Gamma, and Theta stayed largely free of it.39Canadian Journal of Plant Science. Flowering and yield of eastern filbert blight resistant hazelnut cultivars in southwestern British Columbia40Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Eastern Filbert Blight Resistance in Hazelnut Accessions ‘Culplà’, ‘Crvenje’, and OSU 495.072 Hazel trees also can’t pollinate themselves, so orchards need a compatible second variety nearby.41Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Geographic Distribution of Incompatibility Alleles in Cultivars and Selections of European Hazelnut
In a backyard, plant at least two compatible varieties so nuts set, and in the eastern US choose blight-resistant ones. Expect a shrub or small tree that drops nuts in late summer to fall. Squirrels and jays often get them first.
Wild Hazels and Their Role in Nature and Folklore
The American hazel and beaked hazel are native to eastern North America.42Earth Stewardship. Consider bagaan: The importance of hazel to Indigenous Peoples of eastern North America and implications for sovereignty They’ve long been important food, medicine, and cultural resources for Indigenous Peoples, who tended them with fire.43Earth Stewardship. Consider bagaan: The importance of hazel to Indigenous Peoples of eastern North America and implications for sovereignty They also feed and shelter wildlife.44Earth Stewardship. Consider bagaan: The importance of hazel to Indigenous Peoples of eastern North America and implications for sovereignty Fire helped because hazel shrubs resprout from their roots afterward, so burning clears older growth and encourages new stems. Newer stems tend to bear nuts and provide flexible shoots useful for crafts, which is why hazel stands were cared for deliberately rather than simply gathered from.
To spot wild hazel, look for multi-stemmed shrubs at woodland edges. The nuts sit in leafy, frilly husks, and beaked hazel’s husk forms a long tube. Wild nuts are small but edible, though it’s kind to leave plenty for wildlife.
Hazel trees also store carbon, reduce soil erosion, and improve water quality.45USDA Climate Hubs. What Is a Filbert? The Nut’s Name, Species, and Uses Planted along streams, they reduce sediment and pesticide runoff.46USDA Climate Hubs. What Is a Filbert? The Nut’s Name, Species, and Uses
Hazel has a place in folklore too. Forked hazel twigs were a favorite for divining rods used to search for water and metal.47USGS Publications. Water-Supply Paper 416 – The Divining Rod: A History of Water Witching