Buchecker - health from the forest

Buchecker: Collect, heat and enjoy

Those who now walk through the forest or through a park can discover small treasures on the ground: beechnuts. The high-energy nut fruits have unfortunately fallen into oblivion. But it is worthwhile to collect and enjoy them. It is important to heat them before eating, so that the toxins contained are broken down. Then they are a tasty snack and enrich with their nutty aroma many dishes.

Beechnuts are the fruits of the European beech Fagus sylvatica. The nuts are relatively small with a length of about 1.5 centimeters. You are in pairs in a prickly, 3 to 5 cm long fruit cup. At the maturity of the nuts this breaks into four parts and the fruits fall out.

The nuts themselves have a shiny, brown shell and are botanically genuine nuts, meaning that all three parts of the pericarp are lignified and enclose a single seed. Beechnuts are "triangular". Under the leathery shell is the embryo with its cotyledons and many ingredients.

The small nuts mainly contain vitamins of the B group, minerals such as potassium, the trace elements zinc and iron as well as carbohydrates, proteins and fiber. Due to the high fat content of around 46 to 50 grams per 100 grams, they are very energetic with just under 600 calories. However, the fats are mostly in the form of unsaturated fatty acids, which among other things reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Bucheckern should not eat raw, because they contain the slightly toxic trimethylamine, after the botanical genus name of the beech Fagus also known as "Fagin". In addition, hydrocyanic acid and oxalic acid are present in the raw fruits. To make these substances harmless, beechnuts must be heated before consumption. This can be done by roasting, roasting or pouring hot water over it. Also, the snacking of raw fruits while collecting should be limited to a few beechnuts. Otherwise, slight symptoms of intoxication such as abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting may result.

Who has heated the high-energy nuts, they can use very versatile in the kitchen. Roasted in a pan, they develop their nutty aroma particularly well. They are a delicious and healthy snack and refine, for example, salads, cereals and sweet and savory dishes. In addition, they can be crushed, processed into flour and then baked, such as bread or cake.

By the way: In times of need, for example after the Second World War, beechnuts served as food and for the production of oil. They were collected, pressed into oil, roasted and used as a coffee substitute or ground into flour. Especially in so-called "fattening years", when the beech trees bear many fruits, collecting is a good opportunity to taste the healthy nuts. Otherwise, wild boar, birds and squirrels look forward to the nutritious winter supply. Heike Stommel, bzfe