Tonda

Tonda is the Italian word for round. In botanical and agricultural contexts, it is used as an epithet in the names of several cultivars and fruit varieties that are notably circular in shape. The best-known uses are in hazelnuts: Tonda Gentile Romana, a traditional hazelnut from central Italy noted for its sweetness and widely used in confections such as gianduja; and Tonda Gentile delle Langhe, a Piedmont hazelnut highly regarded for its size, flavor, and export value. Another important variety is Tonda Iblea, an olive cultivar native to the Iblea region of Sicily, cultivated for olive oil with a distinctive fruity character. In addition to cultivated nuts and olives, the word appears in broader Italian usage to describe round forms in fruits and vegetables. The term thus functions as both a descriptive adjective and a formal cultivar epithet, reflecting the characteristic round shape of the plants or fruits it names.