Canned nuts have already been shelled, skinned and boiled, but they're mealier than fresh nuts. Rinse them before using. Unshelled nuts show up in the produce department of larger supermarkets in the fall and winter. Shelled nuts are available year-round near the baking supplies. Before you use them, toast shelled hazelnuts in a 325 oven for ten to fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pecans are a very close relative.
One downside is that they turn your teeth orange. These rich and creamy nuts hail from Hawaii and Australia, where they're eaten as snacks, or incorporated into cookies or other desserts. They're hard to crack open and tricky to roast, so they're almost always sold shelled and roasted in vacuum-pack containers. After you open these containers, you should store any uneaten nuts in the freezer or refrigerator, since they're high in fat and therefore prone to rancidity. If you want to roast your own macadamia nuts, put them in 275 oven for about 15 minutes.