'Walnut' the oldest tree food to man

Walnut, scientifically known as ‘Juglans regia’ is an edible seed of the trees belonging to the family ‘Juglandaceae’. It is one of the most famous and consumed nuts in the world after peanut, almond and pistachio.

Walnut is mostly consumed as it is or after soaking it in water overnight for better results and it is used in soups, salads, breakfast cereals, pasta and baked goods. Walnut is also used to make oil which is expensive and takes around 5-6 kg of nuts to process 1 liter of oil.

Walnut which is the oldest tree food consumed by humans is supposed to have been first used since 9000 years ago has two main varieties – the English or Persian walnut and the black walnut. The English walnut is believed to have originated in Iran while the black walnut which is not commercially cultivated due to certain poor characteristics is supposed to have come from eastern North America.

The walnut trees prefer cool climates and thrive in clay loam or sandy clay loam soils. The trees normally grow 90-100 feet in height and take 5-6 years to bear the fruits that are round or oval in shape and nearly an inch in size. The outer husk of the fruit starts splitting as an indication of being ready for harvest which is normally done from September to November.

Walnuts are rich in nutrients and contain sugar, fiber, protein, carbohydrates, omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, folate, etc and are purported to lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol, and prevent certain cancers.

China is the largest producer and consumer of walnut in the world. Other major producers are the US, the European Union, Chile, Ukraine and Turkey. The largest exporter is the US followed by Chile, Germany, China and Ukraine, while the largest importer is Turkey, followed by Italy, India, UAE, and the US.

In India, the top producer of walnut is Jammu and Kashmir, followed by Uttaranchal, Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh

Some of the major trading markets of walnut in India:

Jammu and Kashmir (Ramban, Shopian, Kupwara, Anantnag)

Arunachal Pradesh (Naharlagun, Doimukh, Itanagar)

Himachal Pradesh (Shimla, Kasauli, Kataula, Lambagaon)

Names of walnut in different Indian languages:

Hindi                     Akharot

Tamil                     Valnat

Malayalam            Valnatt