Pickled walnuts
Encyclopedia
Pickled walnuts are a traditional English pickle
.
mentions them in his book Pickwick 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 English blue cheese
such as Stilton
.
(salt water) for up to 12 days. The walnuts are then drained and left to dry in the air. The fluid in the walnuts causes a chemical reaction to take place and the walnuts turn dark brown to black in colour. The now black walnuts are then placed into jars and a pickling
solution poured over them. This can vary from a straight forward pickling vinegar
to a solution containing spices and sugar. The walnuts are sealed and then left in the jars for anywhere between 5 days and 8 weeks depending on which recipe is followed.
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
.
History
The walnuts used to make pickled walnuts are from the variety Juglans regia, commonly known as the English or Persian walnut. The pickled walnut was a common delicacy in early 19th-century England. Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
mentions them in his book Pickwick Papers published in 1836. In chapter 49 he writes,
Today they are a delicacy found on tables mainly at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time but many recipes can be found using them, more commonly cooked in with beef dishes or served with an English blue cheese
Blue cheese
Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have had cultures of the mold Penicillium added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell, either from that or...
such as Stilton
Stilton (cheese)
Stilton is a type of English cheese, known for its characteristic strong smell and taste. It is produced in two varieties: the well-known blue and the lesser-known white. Both have been granted the status of a protected designation of origin by the European Commission, together one of only...
.
Production
The first stage is to pick the walnuts whilst they are still green and the outer shell is still soft. Most recipes say that June is about the best time to pick them. The soft shelled walnuts are then soaked in brineBrine
Brine is water, saturated or nearly saturated with salt .Brine is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining . Brine is also commonly used to age Halloumi and Feta cheeses, or for pickling foodstuffs, as a means of preserving them...
(salt water) for up to 12 days. The walnuts are then drained and left to dry in the air. The fluid in the walnuts causes a chemical reaction to take place and the walnuts turn dark brown to black in colour. The now black walnuts are then placed into jars and a pickling
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
solution poured over them. This can vary from a straight forward pickling vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
to a solution containing spices and sugar. The walnuts are sealed and then left in the jars for anywhere between 5 days and 8 weeks depending on which recipe is followed.