Nut Day

What the day is

Nut Day is observed on October 22. The name is open to interpretation, and the day has no documented founder to settle the question. It can reasonably be taken to mean edible nuts, the metal fasteners that screw onto bolts, or the eccentric people everyone knows, and observers pick whichever reading they like best.

The edible version is the most popular and the most practical, since it involves food and rewards almost everybody, apart from the people for whom nuts are a serious allergen.

Origin and background

The origin of the date is not recorded, so there is little history to lean on. The food itself has plenty. Nuts are among the oldest foods humans have gathered and stored, valued because they are dense in calories, protein and fat and keep well without refrigeration. Archaeological sites around the world contain the remains of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and acorns eaten long before farming began.

The word is also used loosely. Botanically, a true nut is a hard-shelled fruit that does not open on its own, such as a hazelnut, chestnut or acorn. By that standard a peanut is a legume, an almond is the seed of a drupe, and a cashew is a seed that grows on the outside of a fruit. In the kitchen, none of that matters, and all of them count.

It is worth keeping allergies in mind. Peanut and tree nut allergies are among the most common and most serious food allergies, so anyone sharing nuts with a group should check first and label what is in a dish.

How to take part

• Set out a bowl of mixed nuts and try one you have never eaten, such as a pistachio in the shell or a Brazil nut.
• Toast a handful in a dry pan for a few minutes until fragrant, which improves almost any nut.
• Bake with them: banana bread, brownies, or a simple tart with chopped pecans.
• Make your own nut butter in a food processor with a pinch of salt.
• If you prefer the other meanings, tighten something with a wrench or call a delightfully odd friend.