The hazelnut is one of the most cultivated and consumed nuts in the world, not only as a fruit but also incorporated as an ingredient into a diversity of manufactured food products.
Turkey is the world’s largest hazelnut producer, contributing to approximately 65% of the total world global production (around 815,361 MT in 2007) (FAO, 2009), followed by Italy (16%), the United States (4.0%), and Azerbaijan (3.4%). Other countries, such as Georgia, Iran, and Spain, among others, contribute only 10% of the total production (FAO, 2009).
