nutlike

Nutlike is an adjective used to describe something that resembles a nut in form, texture, taste, or aroma. In general usage, it denotes a characteristic associated with nuts, such as a hard shell, a compact kernel, or a flavor and aroma reminiscent of nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts.

In culinary contexts, nutlike describes flavors that are roasted, fatty, creamy, or resinous in the way nuts are perceived. In botany and horticulture, the term is used informally to refer to seeds or fruits with a hard, shell-like exterior and an edible kernel inside. Many foods commonly called nuts do not meet the strict botanical definition of a true nut; nevertheless, nutlike describes their appearance or sensation.

The term is inherently comparative and non-scientific, and it is often replaced by more precise descriptors such as almond-like, hazelnut-like, or walnut-like when a specific reference is available. It can also describe colors (nut-brown) or textures that resemble the hardness of a shell.

See also: Nut (botany), Nut (culinary), Flavor profile.