FOOD SCIENCE AND PROCESSING 3 (2+1)

Lesson 13 : Nuts and Oil Seeds

Role of nuts and oilseeds in food processing and preparation

Nuts and oilseeds are used in cookery as whole, halved, flaked, nibbed, ground or desiccated.

• Nuts are used in fresh, raw, roasted or boiled or salted forms and also fried forms.
• Nuts are used as thickening agents. Coconut, poppy seeds and cashewnuts are used as thickening agents in the preparation of gravy.
• Chutneys can be made and used from nuts, e.g., groundnut and coconut.
• Sweets are made and used from nuts, e.g., chikki, burfi, kozhukattai, cashewnut cake



• Oil is used as cooking media for frying and seasoning. Oil is also used as preservative in pickles.
• Powders made out of nuts like groundnut and coconut are used as chutneys and salad dressing.
• Nuts are also used in ice-creams, cakes, pastries, payasams and chocolate.



• Nuts are also used in beverages, e.g., badam kheer.
• Peanut butter is used as a topping on the bread or as a side dish along with chapattis.
• Oilseed cakes are used as weaning food or as a thickening agents in vegetables like capsicum
• Nuts are used as garnishing material – raw, roasted, salted or boiled forms.