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Acorns
Acorns - Acorns once constituted a dietary staple in many cultures. They are now more often regarded as a survival or famine food, however they have seen a resurgence in popularity amongst foragers inparticular. Native American and Korean cultures are especially noted for their use of acorns for food. In Korean culture, acorns are still widely eaten and included in many foods including, dotorimuk, acorn jelly and dotori gooksoo, and acorn noodles.
Members of Quercus, Lithocarpus and Cyclobalanopsis, all produce acorns. Some are more edible than others, largely due to lack of bitter tannins. Quercus ilex and Quercus ilex ballota are considered to be by far the tastiest.
Preparing Acorns - Acorns need to be prepared before they are edible as they are high in bitter tannin. Most techniques involve de-shelling, cutting the acorn nut into smaller pieces, then leaching in water, before roasting. After leaching a taste test is usually done to detect bitterness. If bitterness is present then further leaching is needed as the acorns still contain tannin. Tannin needs to be removed before the acorns are edible.
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