Basic Introduction to Luding Walnuts
Walnut — the Luding walnut, has a long history. They are produced in high mountains, semi-high mountains, and low mountains, with almost every household in the countryside having walnut trees. The Luding walnuts from low mountains are considered superior for their high oil content and large kernels. Walnuts have the effect of darkening hair and enhancing beauty; long-term consumption can help improve intelligence.
Nutritional Value
The walnut is rich in vitamins B and E, which can prevent cellular aging, nourish the brain, enhance memory, and delay senility. It contains unique vitamin components that do not increase cholesterol levels but can reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines, making it suitable for patients with arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. Walnut kernels contain abundant vitamin E and linoleic acid, ideal skin beautifiers. Regular consumption can moisturize the skin and darken hair. When feeling fatigued, chewing some walnut kernels can help alleviate fatigue and stress. Walnuts can also tonify the kidneys, solidify essence, moisten the intestines, relieve constipation, and strengthen the body.
History and Folklore
Hollowed-out walnut carving is a type of openwork carving where folk artists ingeniously utilize the texture on plant nutshells to carve vivid and interesting images by carefully shaping and modeling them. Plant nutshells generally have small volumes, irregular textures, and thin, brittle outer layers. Walnut carving artists use the irregular texture of the nutshells to create works that are open and translucent, focusing on a central theme. Whether it be figures and pavilions or birds, animals, insects, and fish, the resulting carvings are always lively and interesting. Hollowed-out walnut carving involves a critical stage of hollowing out, where the artist's knife skills, handling of lines and surfaces, and variations in shaping techniques must all serve the needs of the subject matter, integrating concept, form, and knife work organically. At the same time, various knife techniques such as piercing, scraping, cutting, and slicing, as well as relief and openwork carving, along with the rich artistic language of Eastern culture, are employed flexibly. Through the interweaving and variation of dense and sparse, real and virtual, round and angular, coarse and fine, long and short forms, an intricately detailed and exquisitely crafted artistic effect is achieved, giving the works a rhythmic and infectious quality like music, turning them into precious treasures.
Preparation Method
Salt-Baked Roasted Walnut Kernels
Ingredients
500 grams walnuts, salt to taste, a little water
Instructions
1. Peel the walnuts and set aside the kernels.
2. Dissolve an appropriate amount of salt in hot water and pour it into a spray bottle for later use.
3. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil for easier cleaning.
4. Spread the walnut kernels onto the baking tray and bake at 150°C (top heat) for 15 minutes.
5. Every few minutes, spray the saltwater onto the walnut kernels and turn them appropriately.
6. Alternatively, you can stir-fry them in an iron pot for about 15 minutes, while spraying them with saltwater intermittently.
Tasting and Eating Methods of Luding Walnuts
Walnuts are a therapeutic delicacy. Whether used in combination with other herbs, eaten raw, boiled, dipped in sugar, or cooked into dishes, they have beneficial effects such as replenishing blood and qi, tonifying the kidneys, filling essence, relieving coughs, suppressing wheezing, moisturizing the intestines, and relieving constipation. There are many ways to consume walnuts. Boiling walnuts with an appropriate amount of salt water and drinking the water while eating the kernels can treat kidney deficiency, lower back pain, nocturnal emissions, impotence, forgetfulness, tinnitus, frequent urination, etc. Combining walnuts with coix seed and chestnuts to make porridge can treat frequent urination, nocturnal emissions, loose stools, and early morning diarrhea. Mixing walnuts with sesame seeds and lotus seeds to make a sweet dip can tonify the heart and brain and also treat night sweats. Eating walnuts raw with longan flesh and hawthorn can improve heart function.