Hickory Nut

Hickory nuts are the edible nuts of trees in the genus Carya, native to North America and parts of Asia, most commonly gathered from the shagbark hickory, Carya ovata, prized for its thin shell and sweet, rich kernel. The nuts are encased in a hard shell within a thick husk that splits into four sections at maturity. Hickory nuts have long been used in Native American cooking, including kanuchi, a traditional soup made from pounded, boiled hickory nut meal, and today they are eaten out of hand or used in baking much like pecans, their close botanical relative.