Hazelnut Tonda Gentile
The hazelnut is an agricultural product of great prestige and is the fruit of the hazel (Corylus avellana  L.), belonging to the family of Betulacee. It is a very old plant  that lives and bears fruit wildly throughout Europe, particularly on hills and mountain slopes, trails and streams. Among the most prized  varieties there is the HAZELNUT TONDA GENTILE, from PIEDMONT plantations.

For its organoleptic qualities  is considered the best variety in the world and its prices on the market are over any other. The variety Tonda Gentile has a good resistance to adversity and the fruits have all the organoleptic characteristics required by the food industry. In particular:
- The round shape of the fruit favors a fast mechanical shelling, keeping intact the seed;
- The shell is thin, the yield of shelled product is high, from  46 to 50%;
- The seed has good aroma and delicate taste;
- The content of fat is limited and therefore has good shelf life without rancidity problems;
- The thin film that surrounds the seed (perisperm) could be easily removed after roasting.

The fruit begins his formation  in the month of May. The seed (the nut itself) that is located inside a woody sheath, is cream-colored, oily and sweet and is covered by  a brown membrane. When the nuts reach full maturity, that is from  mid-August to mid-September, come loose from the plant and fall to  the ground.
The product is then collected and exposed under the sun for a few days to remove humidity excess. The product not yet well dried, that is with more than 7% of humidity, is affected by mold and tend to go rancid.
To maximize the harvest, it must be free of impurities. So are used appropriate cleaning  machines which separate the fruits from twigs, leaves, stones that  have been aspirated from the collection. Moreover they separate  for density the good fruit from the empty one. The product is then  stored in a dry and well ventilated place.

HISTORY
Up to half of the 800 the cultivation of the hazelnut Tonda Gentile was conducted at combined system with other corporate cultures, so that in an area of extensive cultivation was actually  achieved a very limited production, destined almost exclusively  to self-or small artisanal pastry companies.
Between the end of the last century and the beginning of the current  one, developed a large number of confectionery industries, especially  chocolate, interested in this product, so the trade of hazelnuts  from Piedmont, preferred by European industry for the excellent organoleptic properties, stimulated the cultivation, giving Birth  to the first hazelnut primary culture. Turin people enhance the  quality of this particular species of hazelnut, first of all Mr.  Prochet Michael, who inserted it as an indispensable ingredient  of "Gianduia".
And only from the 30s the corilicolture in Piedmont began to turn, gradually adapting to new knowledge about the needs of plants in  relation to the environment, the appropriate choice of land, of  planting and cultivation techniques such as fertilization, soil working, pruning.

PROPERTY
The hazelnut, as well as a significant content of essential amino  acids and vitamin E, is particularly rich in lipids. In particular,  the lipid fraction comprises more than 40% from monounsaturated fatty acids (as oleic acid) and has the highest ratio of monounsaturated / polyunsaturated in respect to other dried fruit. Recent studies  seem to demonstrate the positive effects of regular consumption  of nuts on human health.
It  is in fact confirmed that a diet rich in oleic acid (the same fatty  acid in extra virgin olive oil) keeps the so-called "bad cholesterol" at low levels in the blood, and raising levels of "good cholesterol, which with its protective action on cell membranes is an important  defense of vascular diseases. In addition, because of the high content  of Tocopherols, including vitamin E, hazelnut provides a significant  contribution of antioxidant, slowing the aging of tissues.

CURIOSITY
The hazel is becoming part of local culture up to be wrapped in  an aura of magic: the farmers believed that its bush was inhabited  by fairies and goblins, while, for more practical activities, the  hazel rod is the instrument of dowsers (who owns and exercises the  power of divination, which allows you to discover underground springs  or mineral deposits through the vibrations of a rod in your hand).
 In Ancient Rome, the hazelnut plants were donated to wish happiness,  while in France, were given to the newlyweds to wish fertility. The Celtic people considered the hazel a magic tree and its seeds were often used in their religious rites for the favors of the gods.

FUGAR HAZELNUT TONDA GENTILE
Fugar strict policy of raw material supply and acceptance find on  Tonda Gentile hazelnut one of its highest expressions of restrictive  verification conditions, caliber, humidity, no bugs, taste, color  and above all the request to the suppliers of documentation showing  compliance with aflatoxins*.
 Faithful to its historic goal of total quality, Fugar, not satisfied  with the documentation described above, undergoes specific analysis  on each batch of nuts!
*Aflatoxins belong to the group of "mycotoxins" and are  toxic substances originate from the metabolism of mold or fungi that can be spread everywhere. 
They are very dangerous for the body in which are introduced through  food.If ingested in sufficient  quantities, they may cause alterations in various organs such as liver,  kidney and nerve centers.
The nut is then subjected to a long process that begins with a slow  roasting at a controlled temperature and constant monitoring of physical  and organoleptic parameters.
The product to be bagged as it is, also includes a manual sorting  of the fruit with the help of a conveyor belt in order to eliminate  all forms of impurities. The fruit destined for processing into pulp  is then subjected to grinding (to obtain a raw paste), refining (to  get a smooth and homogeneous paste) and sieving (to make it even more  velvety on the palate by removing any remaining skin of the fruit).
It is available on the following references:  Pastes: 40464  - 41488 
Whole hazelnuts: 40493 - hazelnut in grains: 40469  - 40495
Tonda gentile variety is also used on the following  references: 40492  - 40973 Bitter Gianduia40470  Creme Baiser
To each sales document is attached the relative technical / Allergens  sheet in which is noticed as the only ingredient the Hazelnut variety Tonda Gentile from PIEDMONT plantations.

AWARDS
Fugar Tonda Gentile hazelnut paste has been repeatedly awarded with  Gold Medal from the Academy Master Italian Confectioners (AMPI)  during their symposiums.
It was also used by the Italian team winner of the world pastry championship in Lyon, receiving from AMPI the medal and the diploma of award for the high quality of the product.On Carrara Tyrrhenian CT Exhibition won the first prize in the competition Gelatissimo as well as the Gianduia paste made with hazelnut Tonda Gentile, which won the first prize also at Sigep International  Exhibition of Rimini
 
 

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