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Long before peanuts and almonds were introduced to the U.S. in the 1700s, there were acorns.
Native to the U.S., the versatile tree nut has long been a traditional staple important to indigenous Americans for thousands of years. But they’ve recently been popping up in food blogs and cookbooks.
Acorns contain essential vitamins and minerals that benefit the brain, nervous system, heart and gut.
Just an ounce has 152 milligrams of heart and muscle-supporting potassium, according to Ohio’s University Hospitals, and two grams of protein.
“Acorns can certainly be safe to consume, when prepared properly, and have some health benefits,” registered dietitian Trista Best told USA TODAY last fall.
Antioxidants and minerals
They also contain antioxidants that protect the body from harmful and disease-linked inflammation, such as vitamins A, E and B6.
And acorns have the essential minerals manganese and folate, which help support bone and cell growth.
Furthermore, the nuts are a good source of gut-regulating fiber, researchers say, and contain brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids.
They are considered a superfood in South Korea and served in jellies, powder and noodles.
So, why don’t Americans eat them at a baseball stadium today?
Harmful tannins — and other problems
Well, blame the tannins: bitter-tasting natural plant compounds that can be harmful to humans in large amounts, causing kidney damage, according to experts.
People can remove tannins in acorns by boiling or soaking the nuts with water before they’re shelled and dried. However, it’s a labor-intensive process.
It’s not just the acorns themselves that have gotten in the way, either.
Some years produce more acorns than others — with climate change-fueled drought and heavy rainfall affecting the oak trees that produce acorns, according to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Forest management has also played a part, Frank Lake, a member of the Yurok and Karuk tribes of California, told NPR.
“We try to gather acorns and have them as part of our diet as much as we can,” Lake, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, explained. “But because of the changes in forest management, and particularly acorn quality, it went from being a staple, to then being more of a speciality food.”
Eating more acorns means taking them from the squirrels and deer that rely on them, too.
That’s been a problem in South Korea, government employees told The Wall Street Journal in 2019.
A versatile substitute
Still, if people have acorns available and prepare them right, they can make an interesting addition to a lot of scrumptious dishes.
Acorns can be ground into flour for baking cakes and bread, or chopped to replace nuts in baked goods and oatmeal.
They can introduce “sort of almost smokey flavor, almost toffee flavor” into rice pudding and desserts, Miles Irving, author of the Forager Handbook, told The Telegraph.
Just make sure to look for brown acorns with the caps still attached, advises registered dietitian Makayla Meixner. Green acorns are unripe and higher in tannins.
