Almonds, for example, are in fact drupes, not nuts at all. Neither are cashews, pistachios and pine nuts. Many tree nuts are drupes, including walnuts and pecans (although confusingly these are known as drupaceous nuts as they difficult to categorise and are not true botanical nuts).

Are almonds real nuts?

Some examples of true nuts include acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts. On the other hand, the fruits of the cashew, almond, and pistachio plants are not true nuts, but are rather classified as “drupes.” Drupes are fruits that are fleshy on the outside and contain a shell covering a seed on the inside.

Are almonds a nut or a seed?

Despite their common label, almonds are not true nuts (a type of dry fruit) but rather seeds enclosed in a hard fruit covering.

And nearly all of the people with allergies to peanuts—which are technically legumes—were able to safely eat tree nuts like almonds, walnuts and Brazil nuts, even though tests had suggested they might be problematic.