Fruit
Walnut
NuezNouJuglans regia
It comes in its own safe, brain-shaped and all. Freshly picked, with the skin still soft, it tastes milky; once dried, it tastes of winter.
When
Around: Sept–Nov · At its best: Oct
Around: Sept–Nov · At its best: Oct
Around: Mar–May · At its best: Apr
Around here
Many Catalan farmhouses have a walnut tree by the house, and in autumn the nuts are gathered from the ground and dried at home. They're the star of postres de músic, the «musician's pudding» of nuts and raisins with a glass of muscat.
At the market
- They should feel heavy for their size: a light one has little nut inside, or a dried-up one.
- Clean, whole shells with no holes; be wary of ones that look too bleached.
- Shake one by your ear: if it rattles, the kernel has shrivelled.
- Shelled: pale, with no dark patches and no rancid smell or taste.
At home
- Fresh ones, with green or soft skins, need drying for a few weeks spread out somewhere airy and shady.
- Dried and in the shell, in a mesh bag or basket, somewhere cool: they keep for months.
- Shelled, in an airtight jar in the fridge: their oil makes them go rancid fast.
If you have too much
- Shell and freeze them in a well-sealed bag: they keep for close to a year without going rancid.
- A good session of cracking walnuts in front of the telly: then into the freezer, ready to go.
- Walnut sauce: pounded with garlic, oil and a little bread, for pasta or veg, frozen in portions.
- Candied or caramelised with sugar, for nibbling or giving away.
In the kitchen
- Postres de músic: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and raisins with a glass of muscat.
- In a salad with endive, apple and blue cheese.
- With quince paste and mature cheese, as an afternoon snack.
- Mel i mató (honey and fresh curd cheese) topped with walnuts.
- Chopped into a pumpkin or banana cake.
“A lot of noise and few walnuts”: all talk and no substance, much ado about nothing.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 654 kcal
- Water
- 4% water
- Carbs
- 13.7 g
- Sugars
- 2.6 g
- Fibre
- 6.7 g
- Protein
- 15.2 g
Stands out for
- High in folate98 µg · 49% of what you need in a day
- High in magnesium158 mg · 42% of what you need in a day
- High in vitamin B60.5 mg · 38% of what you need in a day
- Source of potassium441 mg · 22% of what you need in a day
- Source of iron2.9 mg · 21% of what you need in a day
- High in fibre6.7 g
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- AppleAug–FebIt's harvested in late summer and autumn, but cold stores keep it on sale all year. In season, freshly picked, it crunches differently.
- QuinceSept–NovRaw it's hard and harsh, but it smells so good it used to go in wardrobes to scent the clothes. Cooked, it turns pink and sweet.
- EndiveOct–MarBitter outside and almost sweet at the heart, which is yellow because the outer leaves keep the light off it. Cold weather makes it more tender.
- GrapeAug–OctGrapes don't ripen once picked: the bunch you take home won't get any sweeter. You choose well at the stall or not at all.