The birthplace of walnuts: where they came from, origin, interesting facts

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The vast majority of people have tried walnuts. Based on the name, many believe that the origin (homeland) of walnuts is Greece. This may sound unexpected to some, but it is not. Greece is not the birthplace of walnuts. The real place of origin of this plant, its botanical description, benefits and features will be described in this essay.

General Description

Before you know where the homeland of the walnut is, you should learn what it is. This is a tree species that belongs to the walnut family. It also has other names, such as "royal", "Greek" or "Voloshsky".

The tree is quite large, it can reach more than 25 meters in height. Its trunk is thick. The bark is grey. The branches of a walnut, growing up, form a fairly large and dense crown, which can reach a diameter of more than 20 meters.

Leaves and flowers

Nut leavesregular, complex, that is, they consist of several sheets, growing on one, common petiole - rachis. The leaves, in addition, have their own separate small petiole, which is called the "stipule" or "secondary petiole". They grow from 50 to 100 mm in length, bloom at the same time as the flowers.

Flowers dioecious, greenish and small. They are located on the tops of annual branches, singly or in small groups. The flowers have a double perianth, fused with the ovary. Walnuts are classified as wind-pollinated plants.

Origin and name

And yet, where does the walnut come from? He comes from Central Asia, and got his name because he got to our, and not only, country, through Byzantium, which included Greece. An interesting fact is that in Greece itself the nut was called "Persian".

There is a version that Kyrgyzstan is the birthplace of the walnut. This is due to the fact that there are relic walnut forests on its territory, which only indirectly confirms this version. There is no other, factual, confirmation of this theory yet.

It is known that the walnut began to be cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia (the current territory of Iraq) and Persia (the territory of Iran). It should be noted that in other countries it has other names and is not tied to a country. It is called "royal" or simply "nut". An interesting fact: in the USA it was called English due to the fact that it was supplied from England. Afghan namewalnut can be translated as "four brains".

Fruits

Continuing to consider where the homeland of walnuts is located, we should talk about the fruits of the tree themselves. They are quite large, bone-shaped. They have a fairly thick leathery-fibrous green pericarp, which everyone is used to calling a peel.

Under it is a fairly strong bone, which has a spherical or ovoid shape. Inside there are from two to five partitions. Ripening, the peel is divided into two parts, freeing the nut. Inside the hard, woody shell is an edible fruit called the kernel.

Distribution

Understanding where walnuts came from, you should pay attention to the territory of their distribution. In the wild, they grow in Transcaucasia, especially common in its western part. Walnuts grow in the northern parts of India and China, Iran, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Tien Shan, Ukraine, Russia and Greece.

As mentioned earlier, the largest areas of relict walnut trees today are in Kyrgyzstan. They are located on the slopes of the Chatkal and Fergana ranges, at altitudes from 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level. The fruits collected in these places are considered among the best.

Habitat

The homeland of walnuts (in Iran and Iraq) has a rather favorable climate, which is why these heat-loving trees originated there. Today they can be found in those places where there are soils rich in humus, whilemoderately moist and well aerated. Due to the fact that the walnut tree has a fairly large root system, which goes more than four meters deep and more than 20 meters to the sides, it uses a very large amount of soil. This allows the trees to endure short dry spells.

In Russia, the walnut feels good mainly in the southern part of the country, but it can also be found, for example, in St. Petersburg. Trees cannot stand prolonged frosts - 28 C ° and freeze. However, not completely, but a large, he althy, well-bearing tree from a frozen specimen will no longer work.

Use

The kernel has an excellent taste and a fairly high nutritional value. Even in the homeland of the walnut in ancient times, it was eaten in its natural form, as well as in the form of spices, various dishes were prepared with its addition. These are mainly cakes, pastries, sweets, halva and other sweets. However, there are many recipes for cooking and meat dishes that use walnuts. It is especially common in the cuisines of the Caucasus.

From nuts, in addition to gourmet dishes, oil is made, which belongs to the drying group. It is eaten and also used in the creation of artistic varnishes. The fact is that varnish based on walnut oil gives a peculiar shade, which is appreciated by craftsmen. The oil is also used in the manufacture of mascaras, creams and soaps.

Content and application

In the corewalnut has a high fat content - from 45 to 75%, proteins - from 8 to 22%, and it also contains vitamin B 1 and provitamin A. It is believed that walnut fruits are a fairly effective tool for improving male potency. One of the most common recipes for improving it are nuts with honey. Doctors recommend eating walnuts, regardless of whether you suffer from any ailments or not. These wonderful fruits are rich in beneficial substances that the human body needs.

The leaves have long been used as a vitamin and wound healing agent. Infusions and decoctions of foliage and pericarp in alternative medicine are used to treat diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, bladder, gynecological ailments, tonsillitis and stomatitis, atherosclerosis and beriberi.

Interesting facts

There is an original way of catching trout in the mountain rivers of Transcaucasia. A decoction of walnut leaves is poured into the river, thereby intoxicating the fish, after which it can be easily caught with a small net or net.

Unripe walnut fruits are used to create vitamin concentrates, they are also used to make jam. According to the memoirs of A. F. Sergeev, who was brought up in the family of Joseph Stalin, the leader was very fond of jam from unripe walnut fruits and very often emphasized its usefulness. It is fair to say that such fruits have a rather pleasant taste and are very highly nutritious, and are also indicated for dietary nutrition.

Currentlytime to get the whole range of vitamins and nutrients, not only fruits are used, but also their internal partition, pericarp, as well as the leaves of the walnut tree themselves. The leaves contain 4.5 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that these amazing fruits are not only tasty, but also very he althy. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that they can be used in almost any form. But most importantly, these nuts are very affordable and can be purchased in many stores at a not too high price.