Pickled walnuts or pickled walnuts are a traditional English food.
Since the nineteenth century, in England, walnuts in brine are considered a real delicacy; Charles Dickens already talked about it in his book "The Pickwick Papers", published in 1836, and are also mentioned in the "Brideshead Revisited", by Evelyn Waugh.
It is a food still very consumed throughout the nation, especially at Christmas time, and is served with a blue cheese called "Blu Stilton"; they are also used in certain meat-based recipes.
The walnuts in brine are made with the fruits of both species of the common walnut: Juglans regia or Juglans nigra .
The first phase of production is to carefully choose soft walnuts. These must still be green and without lignification of the shell; most of the recipes suggest that the best time for fruit harvesting is the end of June.
The walnuts must be immersed in a brine (salted water) for at least ten days; then, it is necessary to drain them and leave them to dry in the open air. Soaking causes a chemical reaction of these plant tissues which, from dark brown, when exposed to sunlight, become black.
The black walnuts must then be placed in glass jars to be filled with vinegar marinating; this can be simple, that is only with vinegar, or containing spices and sugar.
The walnuts are then sealed and left to mature for a period of time ranging from five days to eight weeks, depending on the specific recipe.
