Hazelnuts/Filberts/Cob Nuts

[Michael Quinion]

> I have a colleague who has an orchard  and asked the staff if any of
> us would like to purchase "Hazelnuts/Filberts/Cob Nuts." Now, if the
> pop/soda debate gets people's blood boiling, out here in Oregon the
> Hazelnut/Filbert divide can lead to warfare. Forget the Hatfields and
> McCoys.  Being the hazelnut/filbert capital of the world, we take our
> nuts seriously. Nevertheless, I'm familiar with hazelnut and filbert,
> but had never heard or seen 'cob nut.' My buddy said it was a term in
> use in the early part of the last century, but couldn't give any more
> info. Has anyone else ever heard 'cob nut'? Would appreciate any
> info--even to the negative. Fritz J

>From my British perspective, I know and use all three, not least because I
have two of these trees in my garden, which bear masses of nuts, most of
which the local squirrels grab before I can.

Over here, "hazelnut" is the wild variety in the local hedgerows, while
the rather less well known "filbert" is the cultivated equivalent. The
status of "cob nut" (more often "cobnut") is rather less clear-cut, but
for me it also refers to a cultivated variety, such as the Kentish cob
(the most common variety grown commercially in Britain, I'm told).


--
Michael Quinion
Editor, World Wide Words
E-mail: wordseditor at worldwidewords.org
Web: http://www.worldwidewords.org

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