- Pickled walnuts
Pickled walnuts are a
traditional English pickle although there is doubt as to which country first pickled walnuts..History
The
walnuts used to make pickled walnuts are from the variety "Jugans regia", commonly known as theEnglish Walnut orPersian Walnut . Recipes have been found that suggest that walnuts were being pickled in area now occupied byIran some 8000 years ago. fact|date=July 2008 The Pickled Walnut was certainly a common delicacy in early 1800s in England.Charles Dickens mentions them in his bookPickwick Papers published in 1836. In chapter 49 he writes,Today they are a delicacy found on tables mainly at
Christmas time but many recipes can be found using them, more commonly cooked in with beef dishes or served with an Englishblue cheese such as Stilton.Production
The walnuts must be picked when they have reached their full size but before the hard shell has formed inside the green fruit. The end of June is about the best time. The fruit are pricked a few times and soaked in
brine for at least a couple of weeks, with occasional changes of water. The ancient Persian recipes call for one lunar cycle, ie a month. The walnuts are then drained and left to dry in the air for several days. The fluid in the walnuts causes a chemical reaction to take place and the walnuts turn black. They are then placed into jars and apickling solution poured over them. There are two basic styles of pickled walnut, one vinegar-based and one using a sweetening agent, such as honey (this was the method of the ancient Persians). In both cases a range of spices are used. The walnuts are sealed and while they can be ready to eat almost immediately depending on the recipe followed, if properly prepared they will keep for many months. The long-term storage of the sweetened versions is more problematic as some form of heat treatment of the sugar is essential.ee also
References
*cite book
last = Dickens
first = Charles
title = Pickwick Papers
date = 1836
*cite book
last = Heath
first = Ambrose (Ed)
coauthor = Blanche Anding
coauthor = Joan Robins
title = Modern Home Cookery in Pictures
publisher = Odhams Press, London
date = 1957External links
* [http://www.graftedwalnuts.co.uk/health.ihtml Walnuts in food and Medicine]
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