Nut (fruit) 251647 224771433 2008-07-10T10:14:41Z 202.40.137.198 {{otheruses|Nut}} [[Image:Hazelnuts.jpg|thumb|[[Hazelnut]]s from the [[Common Hazel]]]] [[Image:Chestnut.jpg|thumb|[[Chestnut]]s]] [[Image:W Nuss Gr 99.jpg|thumb|A [[walnut]] and a walnut core]] '''Nut''' is a general term for the dry [[seed]] or [[fruit]] of some [[plants]]. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be ''true nuts''. Nuts are an important source of nutrition for both humans and wildlife. All nuts are seeds, but not all seeds are nuts. Nuts are both the seed and the fruit, and cannot be separated. Seeds come from fruit, and can be removed from the fruit, like almonds, cashews and pistachios, which were once inside fruit. == Botanical definition == A '''nut''' in [[botany]] is a ''simple dry [[fruit]]'' with one [[seed]] (rarely two) in which the [[ovary (plants)|ovary]] wall becomes very hard (stony or woody) at maturity, and where the seed remains unattached or unfused with the ovary wall. Most nuts come from the [[carpel|pistils]] with ''inferior'' ovaries (see [[flower]]) and all are ''indehiscent'' (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the [[order (biology)|order]] [[Fagales]]. ;Order Fagales *Family [[Juglandaceae]] ** [[Walnut]]—esp. [[Juglans regia|'''Persian Walnut''' (''Juglans regia'')]] ** [[Butternut (tree)|Butternut]] (''Juglans'') ** [[Hickory]], [[Pecan]] (''Carya'') ** [[Wingnut (plant)|Wingnut]] (''Pterocarya'') * Family [[Fagaceae]] ** [[Chestnut]] (''Castanea'') ** [[Beech]] (''Fagus'') ** [[Oak]] (''Quercus'') ** [[Lithocarpus|Stone-oak]], [[Tanoak]] (''Lithocarpus'') * Family [[Betulaceae]] ** [[Alder]] (''Alnus'') ** [[Birch]] (''Betula'') ** [[Hazel]], [[Corylus maxima|Filbert]] (''Corylus'') ** [[Hornbeam]] == Culinary definition and uses ==<!-- This section is linked from [[Pistachio]] --> [[Image:KoreanPineSeeds.jpg|right|thumb|[[Korean Pine]] nuts — unshelled, and shell, above; shelled, below]] A '''nut''' in [[cuisine]] is a much less restrictive (but vital) category than a nut in botany, as the term is applied (from the viewpoint of the cook, not of a botanist) to many [[seed]]s that are not botanically true nuts. Any large, oily [[seed|kernel]] found within a shell and used in food may be regarded as a nut. Because nuts generally have a high oil content, they are a highly prized food and energy source. A large number of seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a [[snack food]], or pressed for oil that is used in [[cookery]] and [[cosmetics]]. Nuts (or seeds generally) are also a significant source of nutrition for wildlife. This is particularly true in temperate climates where animals such as [[jay]]s and [[squirrel]]s store [[acorn]]s and other nuts during the autumn to keep them from starving during the late autumn, all of winter, and early spring. Nuts, including both tree nuts and [[peanut]]s, are among the most common [[food allergy|food allergens]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Common Food Allergens | url = http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html | publisher = The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network | accessdate = 2007-06-24 }}</ref> Some fruits and seeds that are nuts in the culinary sense but not in the botanical sense: *[[Almond]] is the edible seed of a [[drupe]] — the leathery "flesh" is removed at harvest. *[[Brazil nut]] is the seed from a [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]]. *[[Candlenut]] (used for oil) is a seed. *[[Cashew]] nut is a seed. *[[Coconut]] is a dry, fibrous [[drupe]]. *[[Aesculus|Horse-chestnut]] is an inedible capsule. *[[Macadamia]] nut is a creamy white kernel ([[Macadamia integrifolia]]). *[[Pachira aquatica|Malabar chestnut]] *[[Mongongo]] *[[Peanut]] is a [[legume]] and a seed. *[[Pine nut]] is the seed of several species of [[pine]] ([[Pinophyta|coniferous]] trees). *[[Pistachio]] nut is the seed of a thin-shelled drupe. *[[Lychee]] is a member of the [[soapberry]] family, in which its berrylike fruits can be eaten fresh or sundried as nuts. ''See also:'' [[List of edible seeds]] ==Nutritional benefits== [[Image:Nuts and seeds (996x563).PNG|thumb|right|300px|A graph detailing the nutritional properties of nuts and oily seeds.]] Several [[epidemiological]] studies have revealed that people who consume nuts regularly are less likely to suffer from [[coronary heart disease]]. Recent [[clinical trial]]s have found that consumption of various nuts such as [[almond]]s and [[walnut]]s can lower serum [[LDL]] cholesterol concentrations. Although nuts contain various substances thought to possess cardioprotective effects, scientists believe that their [[fatty acid]] profile is at least in part responsible for the [[hypolipidemic]] response observed in clinical trials. In addition to possessing cardioprotective effects, nuts generally have a very low [[glycemic index]] (GI).<ref name=mendosa>{{cite web| |title=Revised International Table of Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) Values|year=2002 |url=http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm |accessdate=2007-11-23 |format= |work= |author= David Mendosa}}</ref> Consequently, dietitians frequently recommend nuts be included in diets prescribed for patients with [[insulin resistance]] problems such as [[diabetes mellitus type 2]]. One study found that people who eat nuts live two to three years longer than those who do not. However, this may be because people who eat nuts tend to eat less [[junk food]]. <ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/LivingLonger/story?id=2805247&page=1 "ABC News: The Places Where People Live Longest"]. ''URL accessed [[January 18]], [[2007]].''</ref> ==Other uses== The "nut" of the [[Horse-chestnut (tree)|horse-chestnut]] (''Aesculus hippocastanum''), is also known as a '''[[conker]]'''. Conkers are inedible, due to the presence of the toxic [[glucoside]] [[aesculin]], but are collected and used in an old children's game, also known as ''[[conker]]s'', in which a nut is threaded onto a strong cord and then each child attempts to break their opponent's conker by hitting it with their own. A related species, ''[[Aesculus californica]]'', was formerly eaten by the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] of [[California]] in times of famine. It must be leached to remove the toxic constituents before eating. ==References== <references /> Kellogg, John H. "Nuts May Save the Race." The Itinerary of Breakfast. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1920. 165–203. == External links == {{commonscat|Nuts}} {{Cookbook|Nuts and Seeds}} * [http://www.sankey.ws/crf/whatisanut.html Photos of some nuts] * [http://www.ncf.ca/~bf250/nutcracker.html Nut crackers] * [http://nutra-smart.net/nuts Nutra-Smart.net] Health Benefits of Nuts * [http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/nuts/index.html Linus Pauling Micronutrient Information Centre] Nuts * [http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/3/504S?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=nuts&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT American Journal of Clinical Nutrition] Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk * [http://www.alpine-plants-jp.com/art/index_bunaka.htm Photos of Japanese Fagaceae] Flavon's art gallery [[Category:Plant morphology]] [[Category:Edible nuts and seeds]] [[Category:Nutrition]] [[Category:Snack foods]] [[Category:Vegan snacks]] [[Category:Vegan cuisine]] [[Category:Vegetarian cuisine]] [[Category:Halloween food]] [[Category:Christmas food]] [[Category:Staple foods]] [[ar:مكسرات]] [[ast:Frutu secu]] [[be:Арэхі]] [[be-x-old:Арэхі]] [[ca:Fruita seca]] [[cs:Oříšek (plod)]] [[cy:Cneuen]] [[da:Nød]] [[de:Nussfrucht]] [[es:Fruto seco]] [[eo:Nukso]] [[fr:Fruit sec]] [[ko:견과]] [[id:Kacang]] [[is:Hneta]] [[it:Frutta secca]] [[he:אגוז]] [[ka:კაკალი (ნაყოფი)]] [[sw:jozi]] [[la:Nux]] [[lb: Noss]] [[lt:Riešutas]] [[ms:Kacang]] [[nl:Noot (vrucht)]] [[ja:種実類]] [[no:Nøtt]] [[pl:Orzech (botanika)]] [[pt:Noz]] [[ru:Орех]] [[se:Niehtit]] [[simple:Nut (fruit)]] [[fi:Pähkinä]] [[sv:Nöt]] [[ta:கொட்டை]] [[tg:Чормағз]] [[tr:Kuru yemiş]] [[uk:Горіх]] [[vls:Neute]] [[zh:坚果]] [[zh-yue:硬果]]