The origin of the word hazelnut is based on the word "pontic", which is derived from "Pont Exinus", which was the name of the Black Sea Region in ancient times. Plinius also recorded that hazelnut was called "Pontos walnut" because it was brought from the shores of Pontos.
Hazelnut spread to the Mediterranean, Middle East and European countries by bringing its name from Eastern Black Sea Region. The word hazulnut corresponds to the Persian "fonduk", Arabic "bunduk", Turkish "fındık", Latin "nux", German "haselnuss", French "noisette", Greek "leptokarion", Armenian "kalin", Tatar "çitlevük", Ancient Greek "funduki", Italian "nocciola", Spanish "avellana", Portuguese "avella", and Romanian "aluna".
It is revealed that the spread of hazelnut culture among the Turks happened in three periods. The first period is the period when the Turks were in Central Asia, where the hazelnut is called "kosık" or "kosuk". The second period is the period when Western Turks used the word "çetlevük" for hazelnut.
In the third period, Anatolian Turks named hazelnut as "bunduk" with the influence of Arab culture and Arabic, and changed it to "fındık" in time.
Hazelnut in Ancient and Medieval Sources
Many writers, naturalists and historians have put forward different opinions about the homeland of hazelnut. Archaeological excavations prove that hazelnuts were part of the mesolithic diets around 10000 BC.
According to some written sources, hazelnut was cultivated in China in 2838 BC and was known as one of the five sacred fruits bestowed by God on people.
The great historian of antiquity, Herodotus (490-425 BC), in his work called The History of Herodotus, writes that hazelnuts were grown in the east of the Black Sea, and also describes how hazelnut oil was extracted in ancient times.
Obtaining hazelnut oil by placing the hazelnut kernels in a bag and squeezing them is similar to the methods used in obtaining oil from olives and hazelnuts in rural areas today.
Greek philosopher Theophrastos, who lived between 372-287 BC, talks about hazelnuts as follows: "In order to save the Pontus walnut (hazelnut) from wildness and domesticate it, it is sufficient to take it from the original root and plant it in another place. In this way, hazelnuts, which are more suitable for winter, are of two types, one is round and plump and the other is long and pointed. Hazelnut saplings grow better nearby water sources.
It is known that the hazelnut tree is known by the Uyghurs as well and even considered as a sacred tree, and hazelnuts are frequently used in the preparation of sauces in ancient Greek and Roman cuisine. In the Deipnosophist of Athenaeus, who lived around 200 AD, hazelnut is included in the "dessert with honey and nuts" recipe, while Plinius (23-79 AD) mentions hazelnut as "Avellinea" and "Pontus walnut" in his Natural History.
In a study on the history of hazelnut, it was understood that hazelnut was used as food in the first ages of history in the Rohen basin of Switzerland, at the time when people built shelters on stakes in shallow parts of lakes.
Hazelnut in the Seljuk and Ottoman Periods
The oldest work that mentions the hazelnut tree in Turkish sources is the Iranian version of the Uyghur Epic: “At the confluence of the Tuğla and Selenga rivers, a mountain between a beech tree and a hazelnut tree swelled and split. Five infants came out of it."
The great Turkish scholar Ibn-i Sina (Avicenna; 930-1037) mentions hazelnut as a medicine used in various diseases in his work called al-Qanun fi’l-Tibb.
Seyrani of Isparta, who lived in the 13th century, mentions that during his visit to the Black Sea Region, plenty of hazelnuts were grown in Giresun. Again, Evliya Çelebi mentions in his memoirs about a trip he made to Trabzon that "all the forests in the mountains you can see and in the city are composed of hazelnut trees."
The first written document proving the sale of hazelnut as an international trade good dates back to 1403. The King of Spain, Henry III, sent an envoy to Timur in 1403; the envoy met with Timur and returned from Trabzon to İstanbul (Constantinople at the time) by sea. The following sentence in his Travel Book expresses his impressions: "On 17 September 1403, we sailed from Trabzon; we went to İstanbul in 25 days with a ship full of hazelnuts under the command of Captain Nicolos Cojen.
A trade agreement was made with France in 1737, during the reign of Mahmut I (1730-1754). According to this agreement, hazelnuts are among the products to be sold to France.
Especially, the introduction of Turkish hazelnuts to European countries is after the second half of the 18th century. It has been reported that hazelnut exports started towards Russia in 1782, towards Romania in 1792, and towards Belgium in 1875. The first export of hazelnut kernels was made in 1879. Hazelnut exports started towards Serbia in 1906, towards Germany in 1907, towards Marseille (France) in 1909, and towards the USA in 1912.
