Hazel nuts are more common in a chocolate bar than eaten au naturel but I have never heard of filbert sbefore, Helen. Are they related?
We say Pea can for Pecan but we only eat them in pies or ice cream.
When I lived in Brazil I never knew their name so I'll leave it to Anna to answer that one.
Brazils are very common in Ireland. Mostly eaten at Hallowe'en with other varieties of nuts and fruits (don't forget that hallowe'en started in Ireland and is a very old ritual called Oíche samhain - so the fruits have a meaningful association), the chocolate variety remain my staple diet Monday to Friday 9:00 to 11:00 along with a strong mug of joe (or two) and The Irish Times online.
It's true. After the war the world became a smaller place and exotic foods suddenly flooded into Britain and Ireland ena masse. Whereas tea was the more common drink on these isles, coffee quickly took over. bananas made an appearance and, I presume, this is also when most nuts made their entrance. Up until a few years ago one was still able to meet an aged person who would tell you (in a semi-comical way): "I remember when I first saw a banana".
Really?
