Nuts, acorns, raw

Raw acorns are the seeds of oak trees, and unlike most nuts eaten straight from the shell, they contain bitter tannins that need to be leached out with repeated soaking or boiling in fresh water before they are palatable. Once leached, they can be dried and ground into a flour used in breads, porridges or pancakes, a technique long used by various cultures to turn a foraged, abundant food into a pantry staple. Raw, unleached acorns are mostly of interest to foragers and hobbyist cooks rather than a typical grocery item, since the processing step is essential before eating.

Fresh raw acorns should be kept cool and dry and processed relatively soon after gathering, as they can spoil or become infested if stored too long unshelled. At 387 calories per 100 grams they are a calorie-dense food similar to other tree nuts, with 23.9 grams of fat per 100 grams. They stand out for magnesium at 15% DV per 100 grams, alongside 12% DV of protein and 11% DV of potassium, and their sodium content is negligible, so once properly leached they can be worked into a diet the way other nuts are, in small amounts as a flour or meal rather than eaten by the handful.