In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant.
Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective outer covering of a seed, fruit, or vegetable.
[1] In cooking, hull can also refer to other waste parts of fruits and vegetables, notably the cap or sepal of a strawberry.
The seed of a grain (which the grain industry calls a "kernel") is made up of three key edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm – which are all protected by an inedible husk that protects the kernel from damage by sunlight, pests, water and disease.
[4] In some places, both shells and the husks of walnuts (Juglans regia L.) which are produced as waste crops during the fruit harvesting and processing,[5] are sometimes burned as fuel for heating purposes.
[6] In 2019, it has been demonstrated that the walnut green husk could be valued as a source of different natural bio-active compounds with excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
[9] An organic compound Naphthalenone, (derivative of Naphthalene) is found in green walnut husks of Juglans mandshurica Maxim.
[17] In Thailand, the coconut husk is used as a potting medium to produce healthy forest tree saplings.
[citation needed][19] In third-world countries, husking and dehulling is still often done by hand using a large mortar and pestle.