To Pickle Walnuts
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1725
Unknown Author
To Pickle Walnuts
"Tye up your Walnuts so carefully in Vine leaves that no part of the nutt may be seen put them into a pann and pour on them as much Rape Vinegar as will cover them laying some thing on them to keep them under the Vinegar let them lye in this ten days or a fortnight then take them out take of the leaves and wipe them very dry tye them up again in fresh leaves as carefully as before and lay them in the garr in which you intend to keep them. To make the Pickle thus! to every hundred of walnuts put white pepper and Gamacia Pepper of each one ounce, mace, cloves ginger and nuttmeg of each half an ounce all bruised & 3 or 4 heads of Garlick, half a pint of mustard seed bruised boil all these up in white wine vinegar sufficeint to cover them all and put it to them cold the more walnuts there are in Bunches the handsomer they appear tho 'tis some more difficult to tye them up then when they are single"
Note on the Original Text
Early 18th-century recipes were written with a conversational, instructional tone, assuming a base level of kitchen knowledge and omitting exact measurements unless for clarity. Spellings were not standardized—‘pann’ for pan, ‘garr’ for jar, ‘nutt’ for nut, and so on. Ingredients like 'Gamacia Pepper' (grains of paradise) were familiar then but are rare now; substitutions may be required. Directions are often sequential but lack the exhaustive detail we expect today, assuming readers could fill in the practical gaps from their own experience. The recipe’s instructions favor utility and visual appeal, with a note that walnuts look more attractive in bunches—a nod to both function and presentation.
Title
Cookbook of 1725 (1725)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1725
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful window into 18th-century kitchens, this historical culinary volume whisks readers away with its charming recipes and savory secrets from a bygone era.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe stems from around 1725, a period in England where pickling was an essential method of preserving food before the advent of canning or refrigeration. Pickling walnuts, especially while still green, was a popular practice, as these unripe nuts developed a distinctive savory and spicy flavor beloved for centuries on English tables. Such recipes reflect the era’s interest in strong flavors and inventive ways of using garden produce. The lavish use of whole spices and vinegar shows trade routes were well established, and the culinary palate included complex, layered tastes. This recipe comes from a household manuscript, suggesting it was likely used in a well-to-do home with access to both gardens and imported spices.
The walnuts would have been wrapped by hand in fresh grape leaves, using kitchen linen or string to secure them. Large earthenware or stoneware pans and jars (referred to as 'garr') were standard vessels for pickling. Weights—sometimes improvised, such as a plate with a heavy stone—kept the walnuts submerged. A mortar and pestle was needed to bruise the spices and mustard seed, and knives and graters helped prepare the ginger and nutmeg. The vinegar and spices would be simmered in a heavy-bottomed pot over a hearth fire before cooling and pouring over the walnuts.
Prep Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
100
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 100 young green walnuts (about 4.5 lbs)
- Fresh grape leaves (enough to wrap each walnut or cluster)
- 6.5–8.5 cups white wine vinegar
- 1 oz white peppercorns
- 1 oz grains of paradise (substitute: black pepper & small amount of ground cardamom)
- 0.5 oz mace blades
- 0.5 oz whole cloves
- 0.5 oz fresh ginger, sliced or roughly crushed
- 0.5 oz nutmeg, bruised or coarsely grated
- 3–4 garlic heads
- 1.25 cups mustard seeds, lightly crushed
Instructions
- To recreate this 18th-century pickled walnut recipe in your own kitchen, start by gathering young, green walnuts, ideally before the shell inside has hardened.
- Wrap each walnut (or small clusters of them, if you're up for some extra work and gorgeous presentation) tightly in grape leaves so that no part of the nut shows.
- Place the wrapped walnuts in a large non-metallic pot or vessel, and cover them with enough grape vinegar—white wine vinegar infused with grape must, or simply use modern white wine vinegar.
- Weigh the walnuts down with a plate or another suitable item to ensure they stay submerged.
- Let them soak for 10–14 days.
- After their initial bath, gently remove the walnuts, take off the old grape leaves, and dry them thoroughly.
- Rewrap them with fresh grape leaves, as carefully as before, and arrange them in the clean jar (or 'garr') you’ll use for storage.
- To make the spiced pickling liquid, place white pepper, grains of paradise (or substitute with black pepper and a pinch of cardamom), mace, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, bruised garlic heads, and bruised mustard seed into a saucepan.
- Pour in enough white wine vinegar to cover all the walnuts you plan to pickle, and boil the mixture briefly.
- Allow the spiced vinegar to cool completely, then pour it over your prepared walnuts in the jar.
- Seal and let the flavors infuse for at least a couple of weeks before tasting.
- Serve as a classic English pickle alongside cheese or cold meats.
Estimated Calories
25 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about an hour to prepare and pack the walnuts on the first day. After soaking in vinegar for about two weeks, you'll need another hour to unwrap, dry, and rewrap the walnuts, plus 30 more minutes for making the spiced vinegar and packing everything into jars. The actual cooking time is only a few minutes for boiling the vinegar. This recipe makes about 100 pickled walnuts, and each walnut is around 25 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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