Fats · Wa

Walnut

65% fat · goes rancid fast, freeze it

Per 100 g

654 kcal Energy

15.2 g Protein

13.7 g Carbs

65.2 g Fat

6.7 g Fibre

Gluten-free NUTS

Let’s cook with it → Invent something with it

What it is for

They carry aroma. Most smell molecules dissolve in fat rather than water, which is why you bloom spices in oil. They also conduct heat, shorten gluten and soften texture.

Where it catches you out

Every fat has its own smoke point. Butter burns at 150 °C, extra virgin olive oil holds to 190 — choose the fat for the job, not the bottle.

The knack

Toast it dry for two minutes before using: the oil comes to the surface and the aroma nearly doubles.

Storage and health

How to keep it, and who it suits.

Keeping it

In shell, six months somewhere cool and dry; shelled kernels are high in fat, so six months refrigerated or a year frozen. A bitter taste means rancidity.

Gluten-free

Plain walnuts are naturally gluten-free.

Allergen: NUTS

Glycaemic index

This ingredient carries no meaningful carbohydrate, so it has no glycaemic index. On its own it will not move blood sugar; what you eat alongside it decides that.

What it works with

Pairings, and the reason for each

"They go well together" is not an explanation. Every pairing below has a chemical or structural mechanism under it.

Pomegranate →

Walnut fat and pomegranate acid balance each other while the shared ellagitannin chemistry reinforces the astringencies in one direction.

Yoghurt →

Casein preferentially binds walnut tannins, so dairy is the standard fix for walnut astringency — the same protein-polyphenol precipitation that makes milk soften tea.

Also works with

Chilli flakes

Olive oil

Honey

Molasses

White cheese

Pasta

What goes on top

Crushed toasted walnut is itself a classic topping: on kısır, aubergine, cheese plates, buttered pasta

Key compounds

α-linolenik asit: About 2.5 g per 28 g; oxidises readily into rancid aldehydes.

Nutritionally

The walnut is the only common tree nut that is an excellent source of plant omega-3 ALA — and exactly why it goes rancid fastest. The nutrition and the shelf-life problem are the same molecule.

Where it turns up