Königskind Black Walnuts. Green walnuts pickled in orange-spice syrup – tart-aromatic, deep black, in a large jar.
Königskind Black Walnuts are unripe harvested walnuts that are soaked for weeks and then simmered in a syrup of sugar, water, orange, lemon, and spices. Uwe and Sabine König make them by hand in Wiehl in the Oberberg region. The large jar contains 260 g, with a drained weight of 150 g of walnuts.
Black Walnuts from Königskind are whole green walnuts that you eat, shell and all. They are picked in early summer while the inner shell is still soft. The name describes the color that develops only after long soaking and does not refer to a specific walnut variety. In the past, pickled green walnuts were widespread in rural areas; today, they are considered an almost forgotten specialty. In England, they are still available today as pickled walnuts. There, they are pickled in vinegar and taste sour and spicy, a classic accompaniment to cold meat and cheese. The walnuts from Wiehl take the sweet route. Orange, lemon, and spices give the syrup its direction, and the nuts absorb it over months. The result is an accompaniment somewhere between compote and a cheese pairing that immediately catches the eye on every plate: glossy black and soft like preserved fruit.
Taste: first sweet, then citrus, ending with the tartness of the nut
Tart-aromatic is how the producer describes the taste, and that hits the mark well. First comes the sweetness of the syrup, followed by orange and lemon. In the end, a slightly bitter, spicy note remains, which comes from the green walnut itself. The spices stay in the background and round off the whole thing rather than pushing to the front.
Due to the months of maturation, each nut is soaked through to the center. It is soft and can be cut into thin slices with a sharp knife. The cross-section shows that the whole fruit is in the jar, with the hull, shell, and kernel in one piece.
The syrup in the jar tastes of the citrus fruits it was cooked with and the nut that matured in it. Save it after the last nut. It is far too good to pour down the drain over vanilla ice cream or with a dessert.
Anyone expecting crunchy walnut kernels will be surprised. Black walnuts are a soft, sweet side dish with a distinct tartness. They are more of an accompaniment for cheese and roasts than a snack for the evening in front of the TV.
Use: thinly sliced with cheese, game, and roasts
The nuts are best showcased in thin slices. Place them next to a soft goat cheese or a Camembert. The sweetness and tartness of the nut then meet the creamy, salty side of the cheese. A few nuts are enough for a cheese platter because the flavor is intense. The black slices also look good next to pâtés, on the board as well as on the plate.
In savory cooking, they belong with game and roasts. A few slices go well right next to the meat for venison loin, venison haunch, or wild boar. With a cold Sunday roast, they are the side dish that turns leftovers from the weekend into a proper evening meal. Warmed up, you can also add them to a risotto. Fold in a few chopped nuts shortly before serving, so their flavor remains clear.
In desserts, the nuts show their sweet side. A scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a sliced nut and a spoonful of syrup from the jar makes a dessert in two minutes. The tartness of the nut takes some of the sweetness away from the ice cream, and the orange in the syrup goes well with the vanilla.
After opening, what is on the label applies: store in a cool place once opened. Remove the nuts with a fork or a clean spoon. This way, the rest remains well submerged in the syrup and keeps for the next cheese platter.
Our tip: For a game roast, slice two or three nuts and warm them briefly in some syrup from the jar. Beside the meat and the dark sauce, they bring sweetness and citrus to the plate and are a change from the usual cranberries.
Origin: weeks of manual labor in Wiehl
Hardly any jar from the manufactory requires as much time as this one. The work begins at the end of June, shortly before St. John's Day. At that time, the green walnuts are still so soft that the shell can be pierced with a wooden skewer. Each nut is pierced many times and then placed in water for several weeks. This water is changed daily until the nuts are black.
Then follows the syrup. Over three days, the nuts are poured over with hot syrup and simmered, allowing the sweetness to soak in step by step. Afterward, they mature in the jar for several months. Only then do they have the tart-aromatic taste for which they are prized.
The nuts are made by Uwe König and his wife Sabine in their gourmet manufactory in Wiehl in the Oberberg district. Uwe König began preserving in his home kitchen in 2005, and it became his own manufactory in 2014. When things get tight during the peak season, relatives from the neighborhood help out. Everything is done by hand and jar by jar, without added flavors, colorings, preservatives, and flavor enhancers, according to the manufacturer's information. Every label says "Oberbergisches Produkt".
For whom: supplies for cheese platter and game season
The large jar is for those who already know black walnuts and serve them regularly. Those who cook game more often in autumn and winter, receive guests with a cheese platter, or want to accompany the festive roast have a supply in the cupboard. It also works well as a guest gift for people who like to eat cheese and enjoy trying new things.
For a first taste, there are the Black Walnuts in a small jar. On the cheese platter, fig mustard complements the nuts with fruit and light spice. Pickled items for the appetizer platter can be found in our Antipasti category. The Königskind page tells more about Uwe and Sabine König and their other jars.
Note: The nuts are walnuts and therefore tree nuts. The jar is not suitable for anyone who is allergic to walnuts or other nuts.
Green walnuts, soaked for weeks and matured in orange-spice syrup – the large jar of Black Walnuts from Wiehl for cheese, game, and dessert.
