Hazelnut Horror, Sneaking Dylan Into Science

Abstract

Imagine a paper-thin crepe, fresh out of the pan, dripping with the creamy, chocolaty, hazelnut spread Nutella. The image alone could drive die-hard Nutella fans mad with cravings. So, you can guess their reaction when an unusual cold snap killed much of the hazelnut crop in Turkey earlier this year. Because Turkey is by far the world’s largest hazelnut producer, with almost 80% of hazelnut trees worldwide, Nutella consumers almost immediately went bonkers. The price for hazelnuts, also called filberts, nearly tripled between March and September. Ferrero, the Italian maker of Nutella, quickly sought to reassure its fans that there was nothing to worry about. But some soon began to wonder where else they could get their hazelnut hit. Unfortunately, a pervasive fungal disease—Eastern Filbert Blight—makes it hard to grow hazelnuts in the U.S. Oregon produces 99% of the U.S. crop, but the ugly fungus is beginning to encroach there, ...