Imposters
High Seedciety
Wild Origins
Bizarre Botany
Nutty Culinary
200
Despite its name, this ball-park staple isn't a tree nut—it grows underground in pods attached to plant roots.
What is a Peanut? Because they grow underground, they are botanically legumes, putting them in the same family as chickpeas and lentils!
200
In China, this green nut is called the "happy nut" because its naturally split shell makes it look like it's smiling at you.
What is a Pistachio? They pop open naturally with a noticeable sound as they ripen in dense clusters on the tree!
200
Despite being named after a South American country, virtually all of these giant seeds are harvested from wild trees in the Amazon rainforest.
What is a Brazil Nut? They grow inside heavy, 5-pound woody pods that drop from 150-foot trees—harvesters must wear hard hats to avoid getting knocked out!
200
This sweet, caffeinated seed native to West African rainforests gave its name to one of the world's most famous carbonated soft drinks.
What is the Kola Nut? Original recipes for Coca-Cola used actual kola nut extract for its natural caffeine bump!
200
This spicy ground seed—technically the pit of a peach-like fruit—is paired with eggnog and mashed potatoes, while its outer lacy coating makes mace.
What is Nutmeg? A single fruit produces two spices at once: nutmeg from the inner seed, and mace from the bright red lacy wrapping around it.
400
Native to Brazil, this nut grows clinging to the bottom of a bright red or yellow "apple" and is never sold in its shell due to toxic oils.
What is a Cashew? The shell contains urushiol, the exact same irritating chemical found in poison ivy.
400
Essential for pesto, these tiny buttery seeds are harvested by hand from wild tree cones, making them one of the most expensive nuts per pound.
What are Pine Nuts (or Pinoli)? It can take up to 75 years for certain pine trees to start producing harvestable pine seeds.
400
This green-skinned, tropical "nut" isn't a tree nut at all, but a giant water-floating seed that can travel thousands of ocean miles and still sprout.
What is a Coconut? Coconuts are natural mariners—they can float in salt water for up to 110 days and still germinate when they wash ashore.
400
Native to North America, these bitter-tasting wild nuts were ground into flour by Native Americans after leaching out their harsh tannins with water.
What are Acorns? A single mature oak tree can drop up to 10,000 acorns in a single "mast year."
400
Ground into paste, this seed is the primary ingredient in tahini, giving hummus its signature rich flavor.
What is a Sesame Seed? Sesame seeds are among the oldest cultivated oilseed crops known to humans, grown for over 3,000 years.
600
Native to Mexico and the American South, this pie favourite comes from a tree whose name comes from an Algonquin word meaning "a nut requiring a stone to crack."
What is a Pecan? Pecans are technically "drupes" (stone fruit), meaning the nut is actually the pit inside a fruit husk!
600
Native to Australia, this luxury nut has the hardest shell of all tree nuts, requiring roughly 300 pounds per square inch of pressure to crack.
What is a Macadamia Nut? Trying to crack one with a standard handheld nutcracker will almost certainly break the nutcracker before the nut.
600
Grown primarily in Turkey, this sweet nut is famously paired with chocolate in Nutella and was once thought to cure hair loss in ancient Greece.
What is a Hazelnut (or Filbert)? Turkey produces roughly 70% of the world's entire hazelnut supply!
600
Grown on climbing palm vines in Southeast Asia, this red-staining seed is chewed by millions as a mild natural stimulant.
What is the Areca Nut (or Betel Nut)? Chewing it turns your saliva bright brick-red and leaves colorful stains on sidewalks across Asia.
600
Native to China, this aromatic seed is extracted from a dried star-shaped pod and forms a key component of Chinese Five Spice powder.
What is Star Anise? Beyond cooking, star anise pod extracts are a primary natural ingredient used to produce the antiviral medication Tamiflu!
800
Small, white, and often sprinkled on bagels, these seeds come from pods on a plant native to Africa and India that pop open when ripe.
What are Sesame Seeds? The way the seed pods burst open when mature is where the famous phrase "Open Sesame!" comes from.
800
This wrinkled, brain-shaped nut comes from trees that produce a dark natural dye historically used to stain wood, ink, and fabric.
What is a Walnut? Ancient Roman folklore held that walnuts could cure headaches simply because the nut meat resembles a human brain.
800
Popular in holiday songs and street carts, these nuts must be scored with an "X" before roasting, or they'll explode from steam build-up.
What are Chestnuts? Unlike most tree nuts, chestnuts are very low in fat and high in starch and vitamin C, giving them a sweet potato-like texture when cooked.
800
Found across the American Midwest, this dark, intensely flavored relative of the English walnut is famous for having a husk that stains hands black for weeks.
What is the Black Walnut? Black Walnut tree roots secrete a natural chemical called juglone that acts as a plant killer to stop nearby competitors from growing!
800
Often mistaken for a nut, this oily, green-fleshed fruit grows on trees native to Central America and features a single massive pit in the center.
What is an Avocado? Botanically, avocados are single-seeded giant berries, making their central pit one of the largest seeds in the produce aisle.
1000
Derived from the seeds of an African tree, this "nut" extract is famous worldwide for keeping skin smooth and moisturizing body butter.
What is Shea Nut (or Shea Butter)? It takes roughly 15 to 30 years for a wild Shea tree to bear fruit, and harvesting is traditionally done almost exclusively by women in West Africa.
1000
Essential for marzipan, these nuts were so valued in ancient Rome that they were thrown at newlyweds as a sign of fertility.
What are Almonds?Almonds rely entirely on honeybees for pollination—every spring, billions of bees are trucked to California orchards.
1000
Native to the tropical forests of Queensland, Australia, this tree yields a bitter seed traditionally roasted by Indigenous Australians and is a relative of the macadamia.
What is a Monkey Nut (or Bunya Nut)? Bunya pine cones can weigh up to 18 pounds—roughly the size of a bowling ball—and drop from massive ancient trees!
1000
Found in the Seychelles, this rare palm produces the largest and heaviest seed in the entire plant kingdom, weighing up to 40 pounds.
What is the Coco de Mer (or Double Coconut)? The massive seeds take up to 10 years to mature and are shaped remarkably like a human pelvis!
1000
Grown in Central and South America, these bitter seeds were once used as currency by the Aztecs before being transformed into modern sweet treats.
What are Cacao Beans (or Cocoa Beans)? The Aztec Emperor Montezuma II reportedly drank dozens of cups of spiced, unsweetened cacao water every day out of golden goblets!