Nocciola Piemonte PGI - The species

In 1993, the European Community extended origin protection to the Piedmont Hazelnut (then EEC assigned the Protected Geographical Indication, more commonly known as IGP).

To date, the “Nocciola Piemonte PGI” is recognized, in terms of quality, as the best hazelnut in the world.

Qualitative parameters for “Nocciola Piemonte PGI”:

spheroidal shape of the seed
very hard shell
unique taste as is with an excellent aroma after roasting it
fruit peeling easiness and shelf life requirements (each 10kg. of hazelnuts with shell, yields about 4-5kg. of clean fruit)

The Piedmont Hazelnut I.G.P. is particularly appreciated by the Italian and international confectionery industry. Its greatest coronation happens encountering chocolate.
The enterprising Turin chocolatier, who at the beginning of the 19th century combined hazelnut with exotic cocoa marked an historical and fundamental beginning. Thus Gianduia was born.
From here on there has been a succession of delicacy Piedmontese recipe preparations based on this precious fruit, but not only, which soon became an international sensation: Gianduja chocolate (mentioned above), hazelnut cake, hazelnut cream, nougat, truffles sweets, biscuits…

Hazelnut health properties

Hazelnut is an important source of energy.
In fact, in addition to a significant content of essential amino acids and vitamin E, hazelnut is particularly rich in lipids, with a caloric intake of 650/700 Kcal for 100g of dry hazelnuts.
The hazelnut fats (lipids) are made up for over 40% of monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic acid).
Hazelnut contains the best ratio of monounsaturated / polyunsaturated fats compared to other dried fruit.
The latest scientific developments have shown that consuming hazelnuts can have positive effects on human health. This is essentially due to the oleic fat contained in the fruit inside the shell.
Oleic acid (the same fatty acid present in extra virgin olive oil) it is allowing to keep the so-called “bad cholesterol” at low levels in the blood while raising the levels of “good cholesterol”, which with its protective action on cell membranes, it constitutes an important defense against possible cardiovascular diseases.
In particular, the Piedmont hazelnut, which is distinguished from other Italian and foreign varieties for its high oil content (about 70%), proves to be a prized and quality nutrient, able to satisfy not only the demand for taste buds but also meeting the needs of a consumer who is increasingly attentive to both, the nutritional and health, aspects of their diet.