Walnuts are energetic and very healthy

What would Christmas and Advent be without walnuts? In some families, community nut cracking is an Advent ritual. A nutcracker is the best way to open the seam between the two halves of the hard, light brown walnut shell. Even if it is tedious - it is worthwhile to remove the bright seed skin from the freshly cracked, two to three centimeters large, yellow-white cores. Her slightly bitter taste is not for everyone.

A lot of energy and very healthy: the walnut. Picture: karepa - fotolia

For decoration or in a salad, half seeds with their fascinating, irregular shape are sought after. As a baking ingredient or as a healthy snack, for the refining of jams, syrup or honey and fragments can be used well. Classic partners are cinnamon, vanilla, honey, chocolate and marzipan. In the salad bar, those with fruit or slightly bitter leaves such as chicory and radicchio are typical walnut candidates.

With a fat content of 62.5 percent, walnuts are among the most energy-rich nuts. "The good news is that these are valuable fats," says Harald Seitz, nutritionist at aid. "Walnuts have a very high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids." But that does not change the fact that the delicious nuts are quite rich at around 670 kilocalories per hundred grams. "Pleasure in moderation is therefore also a good motto for walnuts."

Originally the walnut comes from Asia. Today, it is cultivated worldwide in countries with temperate climates. In this country, the spherical to oval nuts mature from September. Fresh, undried green nuts (peeled nuts) can only be found in the growing regions during the harvest season. The main season for dried walnuts in shell lasts from about October to January. From overseas - especially from the US - the fruits are now available all year round. This also applies to baking ingredients such as peeled or ground nut kernels.

When buying dried whole nuts, the main focus of the shell. An intact case is an important quality symbol. Uniformly bright color may indicate that the fruits have been chemically treated. In a cool, dark storage area, walnuts in the shell are stable for months, as long as they get enough air. (Eva Neumann, aid)