# Black walnut taste? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868 "2013-10-21T21:16:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gray53](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@gray53](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gray53)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/1 "2013-10-21T21:16:32Z")
I got an $18 1-lb bag of black walnut pieces at the Western North Carolina Farmers Maarket. These were the first I’ve ever tried (I’ll crack some I harvested myself in a couple weeks). They have a floral/fruity flavor – sort of like concord grapes, as a friend pointed out, but also similar to the fluoride stuff the dentist swabs on your teeth, or the resin from a sweet gum tree. It is not a strong taste for me, and I have been eating them by the handful. What do they taste like to you? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/2 "2013-10-21T22:07:44Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this is more of a poll of taste opinions rather than a factual question, it belongs in the IMHO forum. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/3 "2013-10-21T22:09:29Z")
It’s a strong organic chemical taste, sweetish. I’ve never tried eating them straight. I was raised in a household where we cracked our own, so they were precious and only to be used to flavor baked goods. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/4 "2013-10-21T22:20:03Z")
To me, they just taste like normal walnuts, only more bitter. The wood’s great, though, and you can also use them to stain other woods. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/5 "2013-10-21T23:42:54Z")
They taste like more intense, fruity walnuts. I once sat and cracked hundreds of them on the garage floor with a brick. That was a lot of work for little broken nubs of nuts, but boy they were good. I baked black walnut quick bread, I think. Delish. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/6 "2013-10-21T23:47:37Z")
I’m a little embarrassed that I’ve made it to my 30s thinking these things aren’t food. Will have to try one next time I’ve the opportunity to open one, which I remember being a pain. They sure do smell nice, though. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-walnut-taste/671868/7 "2013-10-22T01:57:49Z")
Anyone who has tried to crack enough black walnuts to get a pound of nutmeats understands why the $18 dollar bag was a bargain. The only comparable nut around here is the hickory nut, but they’re even better than black walnuts.