Help Trying To Find Common Allergen In Nuts...  Monique Reed
monique at Mon Nov 2 09:39:00 EST 1998  I think I can help make
it a little clearer, being a nut allergy sufferer   The person
who told you peanuts are not nuts but legumes was correct--they
are members of the Fabaceae.  Also, almonds are not nuts, but
the seed of a  peach-like fruit in the Rosaceae.  Cashews are
the seed of a plant in the   Pecans and Walnuts are nuts and are
both members of the Juglandaceae.  It  stands to reason that if
you are allergic to one, you might be allergic to the  other,
since they are very closely related and have similar compounds.
Hazelnuts (filberts) are in the same group of families and are
more closely  related than are pistachios (also not a nut),
peanuts, and almonds.  I'm not sure what the specific allergen
in walnuts and pecans is, and it might  be different for
different people.  (E.g., I can eat pecans till I burst, but
one walnut and I'm in trouble.)  As a general rule, though, if
you are  allergic to s