Hazelnut is a plant that can grow in 36-41° latitudes around the world and need its own climate. It is grown at most 30 km inland from the coast and in places where the altitude does not exceed 750-1800 m . Hazelnut is grown mostly in the Eastern Black Sea Region in our country . Ordu, Giresun and Trabzon are our main provinces where hazelnut is grown . Apart from these, hazelnut cultivation is also carried out in the Black Sea Region Provinces, Kocaeli and Sakarya.

Hazelnuts, which have a history of approximately 5000 years , have been grown in the Black Sea region for 2500 years . The world production of hazelnuts , which has a long history, is 835 thousand tons. Türkiye  ranks first with a production of 675 thousand tons.

Although hazelnuts can grow in a wide area in the world , the number of countries where they are grown economically is very limited. Turkey is one of the countries where hazelnuts are produced economically and ranks fist among them, Italy, Spain and Greece follows this . 74% of world hazelnut production and 87% of hazelnut exports are realized by our country . Our domestic consumption is about 8-10% of our production . 80% of the hazelnuts consumed in our country are consumed in the chocolate industry, 15% in the biscuit, confectionery and pastry industry, and 5% are consumed without any industrial processing.

One of the main goals in developing healthy living habits is to acquire healthy eating habits . Improving individual diet and health practices along with improving the effectiveness of health services reduces preventable diseases, disabilities and premature deaths.

Hazelnut is an oilseed that can be included in meat group foods, which are very important for human nutrition and health, thanks to its fat and unsaturated fatty acids, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber content. It does not contain cholesterol. It contains vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties.It is included in the food group that reduce the risk of cancer.

HAZELNUT PRODUCTS AND USAGE METHODS

Hazelnuts are marketed as snacks by salting and roasting after cracking, or hazelnuts are marketed in their natural form or as hazelnut products that are blanched, roasted, sliced, chopped, turned into flour, puree or paste. These products are used in milk, fruit and vegetable desserts, ashuras, cakes, biscuits and cakes, ice cream, candies, chocolates, nougat, dragee and halva production, as sauces for products such as chicken, fish, vegetables, noodles and pasta, in cocktails and canapés. It is used as a spread on breakfasts, in cheese pastes, in syrup production, in bread production by adding wheat and rye flour, and in yoghurts as a flavoring agent. 

Broken, crushed, damaged hazelnuts can be used as edible hazelnut oil; hidden, rotten, rotten, lemonized hazelnuts in the cosmetics and soap industry; in the production of glycerin and stearin; oils obtained from spoiled hazelnuts are used in the paint industry and lubricating precision instruments; the pulp remaining after the oil is separated is used in cake production, poultry and dairy fattening, and the shell surrounding the hazelnuts and removed by roasting is used in animal feed.