Acorns (was: SC - recipe request)

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Wed, 24 Dec 1997, kappler wrote:

> If I may trouble the list, I have a friend looking for a recipe for 'acorn
> cakes'?  Can't imagine why as acorns are so bitter, but then again so are
> hops and you know how we Pucks love our beer!:-)

Acorns (Quercus ssp). The bitter flavour comes from tannic acid. While
tannic acid isn't really toxic in the kind of quantities you are likely to
be able eat, but why make life harder than nessesary? Leach the acorns by
shelling, and perhaps coarsly split, them and placing in a basket in a
flowing stream (whose water you'd be willing to use for cooking/drinking)
for perhaps a week. You most likely have such a source handy; the tank of
your toilet (unless your tastes are *wierd* remove any sanitary "bluing"
stuff first). Simply place the acorns in a netting bag and forget about
them for a week or so. Dry, grind and use. 

You can also roast them and get rid of most of the bitter flavour. Simply 
place the acorns on the coals of your fire; when the shell is brown and 
charred they are done (about 15'). Or use an oven at 275 C (525 F).

In case anyone is interested, acorns contain 18% water, and 73.2% of the
dry weight is carbohydrate (mainly starch). About 5% fat, and 9% protein
(by dry weight). (The nutritional data are from Kallman "Vilda vaxter som
mat och medicin", 1997)

Roasted and eaten like chestnuts (with butter) they are rather nice.

/UlfR

- --
Par Leijonhufvud                  par.leijonhufvud at labtek.ki.se
PGP fingerprint = 76 3B 11 28 79 39 87 C0  DC 4C 1F 4C C0 1F 1E 89
Medente plues de son doi leur chala les marrapards.


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