Nuts and dried fruit

The cashew is an oily seed extracted from the Western Anacardium, a tropical fruit tree native to Brazil. The spread of this seed in the world is attributable to the Portuguese navigators, who introduced it in India in the 16th century. In the kitchen, cashews can be eaten as a snack but also blended to make cashew butter – a light alternative to the more classic peanut butter – easy to prepare at home with just a few ingredients. They also represent excellent substitutes or addition to pine nuts in the preparation of pesto and a tasty element to enrich salads, main courses of meat, soups and velvety or the muësli for breakfast.

Fruit of the Prunus Dulcis plant belonging to the Rosaceae family, the Almond is an oily seed widespread, since ancient times, in all the countries bordering the Mediterranean. Protagonists of many gastronomic preparations typical of Southern Italy, such as pasta and almond milk and marzipan, almonds can be used in the kitchen with great versatility. Mostly utilized for cakes and pastry products, they are also an excellent option – raw or roasted – as a healthy snack to be added to salads and veloutés.

Excellent sources of protein and unsaturated fats, almonds are a food rich in antioxidants that counteract free radicals and contribute to the well-being of the body. Besides, these seeds guarantee a good supply of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, which help to strengthen the bones and support the nervous system in situations of stress or fatigue. Finally, almonds have a high fibre content, which helps to balance the metabolism.

Once peeled, the almonds are then roasted: characterized by a crunchy texture and a complex aroma, it will be almost impossible to resist this delicacy. Extremely versatile ingredient for all sweet preparations, they are also perfect to be added to sauces and fresh salads.

Hazelnut is the fruit of Corylus Avellana: this botanical name was attributed to him by the Romans who used the Greek word còrys, which means ‘headgear’ since the shell protects the seed looks a little like a hat.
Characterised by a sweet and buttery taste that blends perfectly with that of cocoa, in the kitchen hazelnuts are often used mainly for pastry products and sweets such as nougat, confetti, chocolates, praline hazelnuts, ice cream, cookies, cakes, muësli and chocolate spread. Despite the predominance of sweet uses, these fruits lend themselves well to savoury preparations; they can be a valid alternative to pine nuts in pesto or to garnish bread instead of walnuts.

Commonly defined as walnut, this fruit comes from the tree Juglans regia, which owes its name to the Latin phrase “Jovis glans”, that is “acorn of Jupiter”, so defined for the goodness and the high nutritional value of the fruit. The taste of walnuts, sweet at first and bitter in the aftertaste, lends itself to all culinary preparations. From main courses, through salads and sauces to sweets and liqueurs, walnuts are indeed used in every way. Some of the most famous Italian recipes are the walnut sauce, tagliatelle with walnuts and pumpkin, walnut bread, cakes and biscuits.

Small and precious, pine nuts take three years to mature and to obtain just one kilo, at least thirty kilos of pine cones are needed. Consumed by man since ancient times, pine nuts have always had the reputation of being extraordinary aphrodisiacs. Characterised by a very delicate flavour and a pleasantly resinous aroma, pine nuts – often roasted to enhance the taste – are included in many traditional recipes such as pesto alla Genovese, castagnaccio or strudel. In the Mediterranean diet, pine nuts are mainly used to enrich sauces, salads and desserts.

Derived from the Pistacia vera, a tree that can reach a height of about 12 meters and 300 years of age, pistachios are small bright green fruits covered by a light shell, originating in the Middle East, where have been cultivated since prehistoric times. Particularly appreciated for the originality of taste and their adaptability, In the kitchen, pistachios are often an ingredient of confectionery for sweets such as cakes, nougats, mousses, confetti, ice creams and granitas. Roasted and salted Pistachios are the quintessential snack during an aperitif.

Appreciated for their properties and known in the East for thousands of years, Goji berries are small, slightly elongated, deep red fruits, harvested from a shrub belonging to the Solanaceae family that grows wild in the valleys of the Himalayas, Tibet, Mongolia and in the provinces of Xinjiang and Ningxia in China. The word Goji probably comes from the approximation of the Chinese pronunciation gǒuqǐ 枸杞, which is the Chinese term for berry. As for their use in the kitchen, they can be incorporated into the doughs of bakery products to add a special touch to doughnuts, biscuits, cereal bars. They are excellent in the morning in yoghurt together with the muësli, or they can be combined in salads and couscous, or directly eaten as a snack with other seeds and dried fruit.

Vitis Vinifera Sativa – better known as sultanas or raisins – is a variety whose provenance got lost in the mists of time. Almost certainly originating from South-Western Asia and then subsequently introduced in the Mediterranean basin. Sweet flavour and easy to chew thanks to its thin skin, the sultanas are much loved by children, people who like sweets and those who prefer sweet and sour dishes. Often found in great classics such as strudel, castagnaccio, panettone and many other pastry delicacies, raisins are also widely used in creams, jams and liqueurs as in the case of table wines or grappa. Furthermore, this fruit also finds a place in savoury preparations – especially in the Neapolitan and Sicilian cuisine – often associated with cod or pine nuts.

Ginger has many properties and a wide variety of uses in traditional medicine, both Eastern and Western. Characterized by a pungent and dry taste, it is excellent as an aid to digestion. The diced ginger candied with cane sugar can be enjoyed as candy with a unique flavour.

Pistachio cream is a delicious and useful option for topping cakes, crepes and desserts. Excellent also to be spread on bread. All the ingredients contained in the product come from organic farming.

An excellent substitute for animal butter; coconut oil is a virgin cold-pressed product. Perfect for sautéing, it is a product of vegetable origin that can be used for the preparation of short pastry and biscuits, but also as a cosmetics, since coconut oil offers many beauty benefits for your skin, face, and hair.

The buttery taste of hazelnuts is enhanced in this cream with an unmistakable taste, perfect for various uses in pastry and spread on toasted bread or bread. All the ingredients contained in the product come from organic farming.

Almond cream can be used for both sweet and savoury recipes. A preparation that enhances the particular taste of almonds, excellent as a garnish for cakes but also to be spread on bread slices. All the ingredients contained in the product come from organic farming.