THEY EVEN HAVE THEIR OWN NAME - TONDA GENTILE - AND ARE A SPECIALTY OF THE NORTHERN ITALIAN REGION OF PIEDMONT WHERE FRANGELICO IS PRODUCED.
Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are known for being bigger, plumper and more uniform, with a skin that sheds easily, perfect for toasting without a bitter taste. Their sweet flavour is the reason they are so sought after by internationally known confectionery and worldwide popular gianduia chocolate creams. Tonda Gentile hazelnuts, grown in the Langhe, an area of rural hills and picturesque villages in southern Piedmont, are also used to obtain the distillate for Frangelico. The hazelnuts once toasted and distilled with alcohol, are married with other flavoring preparations including cocoa, coffee, vanilla according to the secret recipe and transformed into more than 3 millions bottles of Frangelico for enjoyment around the world, as well as in their native Italy.