old old old

The walnut tree has thrived since before recorded history. It is said to be one of the world's oldest source of edible nuts.

Nowadays commercial quantities of walnuts are grown in the USA, France, China, Russia, India. Turkey, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, and Australia and New Zealand.

dowry

In some parts of France, walnut trees used to form a valuable part of the dowry of a young woman because an income was assured for more than thirty years. Many farmhouses have several walnut trees, and a wide range of preserves and liqueurs is made from the green fruit in addition to the considerable commerce in fully matured and properly dried walnuts.

An interesting link

History

Archeological remains of walnuts have been found as far eastward as the Himalayas and to the distant west and northwest of Persia (Iraq) as well as in Turkey, Italy, France, the USA and Switzerland. The oldest archeological site where walnuts were unearthed is in the Shanidar caves in northern Iraq. Evidence of walnuts was discovered in a Mesolithic dunghill in Switzerland. During the Neolithic period (about 8000 BCE to 2000 BCE) items found in Switzerland's lake district included walnuts and petrified roasted walnut shells were found in Perigord, France.

German walnut engraving

Beautiful French and German walnut engravings (walnut = noyer = wallnuss).

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