[Sca-cooks] RE: Beech Nuts for Atraf al-tib

[Diamond Randall]

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> Has anyone ever tasted a beech nut (either American
> or European)?
> What would be a reasonable substitute? Hazelnuts are
> used in some
> Near Eastern recipes - would these be good?
>Beech Nuts for Atraf al-tib

Beech Nuts are quite commonly found in America, though finding
mature nutting beeches in quantity is not so common.  The beech forests
of Europe literally are so prolific that they rain nuts which is provender
for many woodland species.  The nuts are very small, two to a pod,
with a stiff husk.  The husk is not quite a shell, so the animals consume the
nuts
husk and all with no problem, though squirrels will often discard the husk.
The nut is like a pea sized triangular pyramid and has a flavor more sweet
than nutty.  Gathering enough for use is difficult, because the squirrels will
strip thgm before they are ready to fall unless there is a whopping lot of
them.  If I were to hunt for mature beech trees bearing nuts, I would
try looking on university campuses as most of them have labeled the trees
like an arboritum.   The difference between American and European beech is
mostly in the size of the leaves and the European is about as common as the
American.  There are some huge ones across the street from my office on the
corner of the Vanderbilt campus, I gather a few nuts from in the fall.

Akim
--- Diamond Randall
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