It’s likely that when someone says “walnut”, you imagine an English walnut. The walnuts sold in grocery stores are mostly English walnuts. Black walnuts are available for sale but they are harder to find. Black walnuts and English walnuts have different flavors and shapes. Black walnuts have a much bolder taste, with more fruity and musty flavors than English walnuts. The less earthy flavor of the English walnut has broader appeal. Like the more widely known love-it-or-hate-it relationship that people have with cilantro, the taste of black walnuts is similarly polarizing. English walnuts have thinner shells that are easy to crack at home with most hand-operated crackers. Also, English walnuts have a significantly higher nutmeat/shell ratio (more meat per nut) than black walnuts. Black walnuts produce a thick, hard shell that requires the use of a specially designed cracker. Compared to English walnuts, cracking black walnuts at home is more work for less reward.
Both kinds of walnuts are really healthy foods. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and so are a plant-based source of omega-3 fats. Both kinds of walnut have been found to contain phytosterols, a cholesterol-lowering agent. Walnuts are low in saturated fats and high in fiber. Proportionately, English walnuts may have a little more omega-3 than black walnuts but not as much arginine and selenium. There is no wrong answer when trying to choose the healthiest kind of walnut.
Black walnuts are native to North America. But are English walnuts native to England? As it turns out, English walnuts grow in England but that’s not where the tree originated and English walnuts are not a major English commercial crop. The tree originated in the Middle East and the nuts are called English walnuts because historically the English merchant marines would trade them around the world; the nuts became commonly known as English walnuts. English walnuts are also called Persian walnuts, so if you’ve ever had an English walnut, you’ve also had a Persian walnut.
Black walnuts are an heirloom American ingredient. The people who have tried them know that their flavor is unmatchable and so black walnuts cannot be substituted 1:1 in recipes calling for English walnuts without affecting the flavor of the final product. Heirloom ingredients may require heirloom recipes or the creation of new recipes. Here’s a fun example from Sheryl Lazarus, who posts and tries family recipes from a hundred years ago and has noticed that trying these recipes has caused her to eat healthier foods made with local, seasonal ingredients. Got your own heirloom black walnut recipe over 100 years old? Please contact us to share.
If you are interested in experimenting with black walnuts in your recipes you can find them for sale in our online store. For Finger Lakes, NY area residents and visitors, our seasonal farm stand is stocked with black walnuts. Feel free to stop by our farm and give them a try!
Black Squirrel Farms 