sunflower seeds

Sunflower seeds are the snack and topping people reach for when they want crunch, a bit of nutty flavour, and something easy to scatter over bread, salads or baked goods. By our assessment, their strength is that they are cheap in the broad sense of the category, shelf-stable and useful both plain and toasted. The limit is obvious too: they are small, can be messy to eat, and they do not deliver the depth of flavour that larger nuts often bring. In practice they are more about texture than drama. Compared with pumpkin seeds they are usually lighter and less hefty, and compared with nuts they are simpler and more everyday. The Astrina catalogue files sunflower seeds under Sunflower seeds, which fits their straightforward place in the pantry.