Nut

A nut is the edible seed kernel of certain trees, enclosed in a hard, woody shell. It offers a buttery crunch and turns deeply aromatic when toasted; cooks chop, grind, or purée nuts for baking, sauces, and pestos, and they are sold raw or roasted, salted or unsalted, whole, in pieces, or ground into meals and butters.

People have cultivated and gathered nuts across temperate and subtropical regions, with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and hazelnuts central to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. They also appear widely in South Asian sweets and East Asian dishes, and producers shell, dry, and often roast them after harvest.