Acorns as food & drink across the globe

[gfron1]

I use acorns all the time at the restaurant, and my use is based on indigenous uses from North America and Korean use in dotorimuk. I've heard of acorn liquor in Spain and Korea (haven't tried either). I'm wondering what other uses outside of the United States people might have heard of.

 

 

[Tere]

I've not done anything with my massive oak tree. I know they can be used for flour once they've had the tannins leached, and I think you can use them to make a kind of camp coffee?

 

Not a common food here though. I think use as flour might have been encouraged in WWII rationing, but I can't find any source for that on a quick search.

[Anna N]

I was raised to believe acorns were poisonous to humans. Another myth bites the dust!  

[IowaDee]

 

This probably won't count but......gather acorns, feed them to a heritage breed of hog.  Butcher hog in the fall and feast on the end result of eating acorns, however indirectly it may be.  La Quercha, the producers of world famous pork products buys acorns from farmers in Iowa and nearby areas.   These hogs are bespoke.  I think that Mario Batali buys one every year.

I grew up thinking eating one would probably kill me unless I boiled in about a twenty  changes of water and said my prayers.

Sorry to wander a bit off topic...

[gfron1]

It's not much of a wander @IowaDee. Most of know of pig feed or the mythical dangers that are being mentioned. But there are concrete examples of well-established foods and drinks. I'm wondering what else is out there. I know there has to be more since acorns are everywhere.

[donk79]

William Logan addresses the question.  Here is an interview with NPR on his book "Oak: The Frame of Civilization."  The book is a good read in itself.  In the interview he says that contemporary use is restricted to Korea (acorn jelly) and some Native American tribes.  The book talks about other historical uses.  It has been several years since I read it, so I cannot recall the details.

[Anna N]

The interview seems to suggest that as a source of starch acorns hardly provide a good ROI.  Perhaps when life moved more slowly and food was less easy to come by ithere were those prepared to put in the work. Today that seems to be very few people and only those dedicated to the task at hand. There is nothing in the interview to suggest that they are more flavourful, more nutritious or more of anything except work. Don't misunderstand me I am not dismissing those who go to the trouble to use acorns but I can see why they are not an especially popular food product any where in the world. 

[gfron1]

Thanks for the interview donk79. The 'yes, but' factor here is that Emory, Grey and Arizona oaks (among others) require no leeching. The cracking, shelling and sorting is not fun, but in a good day I can get enough to last the restaurant for a season, so no worse than pistachios IMO. It did provide at last a minor lead of Tunisia.

[IowaDee]

Forgive me, I was in my smart ass mode!