I’ve always associated these walnuts with road trips since I was a child. Now, I see them on trays, little bags tied in cones, part black, part glistening.
While in traffic a few weeks ago, I purchased a bag, tore it open and cracked a shell after ‘cleaning” it. It split in half, and I discovered for the first time a leaf at the centre. I call it a leaf for want of a better name…
It tastes no different from the whole nut – maybe a tad more delicate.
I imagined dressing small bites with it.
So, the anatomy
The Shell
Dark brown – black, inedible shell, a couple of centimetres diameter. Rough to the touch and easy to break by teeth…
The Nut
Off-white to creamy. Reminds me of an acorn with a defined ‘bottom’. Sometimes, lightly covered in brown/ bronze fluff from the inside of the shell
Inside the nut
As I discovered, once the nut was broken in this perfect half, right down the centre lives a leaf of sorts
And that, ladies and gentlemen is really all there is to I know about the anatomy of the African black walnut.
Have you seen the ‘leaf’ below? Anything else to add? Share, share. Thank you.
My husband just brought me some from Nigeria, its so good
A delightful walnut!
In more ways than one 🙂