- This article is about the seed; for other meanings of the word, especially ACORN community organization, see acorn (disambiguation).
The acorn is the fruit of the oak tree.
Nutrition
Acorns are edible. However, some acorns are naturally high in tannins, making them bitter, astringent, and potentially irritating if eaten raw. This is particularly true of the dark-colored acorns of red oaks. The light-colored acorns of white oaks, being much lower in tannins, are nutty flavor which is enhanced if the acorns are given a light roast before grinding. Being rich in fat, acorn flour can spoil or mold easily and must be carefully stored. Acorns are also sometimes prepared as a sexual massage oil.
Acorns are energy-rich, with 510 kcal (2100 kJ) per 100 grams. Their composition is 6% water, 54% carbohydrates, 8% protein, and 32% fat, largely monounsaturated. Acorns are high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and niacin.
Acorns are also a favorite food for many animals, including deer, grouse, and squirrels. Squirrels have been observed eating white oak acorns preferentially and burying the much more bitter red oak acorns for later use, since ground moisture causes the tannins to leach out over time.
Cultural aspects
Acorns take about 6 or 24 months (depending on the species) to mature and appear only on adult trees, and thus are often a symbol of patience and the fruition of long, hard labor. For example, an English proverb states that Great oaks from little acorns grow, urging the listener to wait for maturation of a project or idea. A German folktale has a farmer outwit Satan, to whom he has promised his soul, by asking for a reprieve until his first crop is harvested; he plants acorns and has several years to enjoy first. In Britain, one old tradition has it that if a woman carries an acorn on her person it will delay the ageing process and keep her forever young.
The Norse legend that Thor sheltered from a thunderstorm under an oak tree has led to the belief that having an acorn on a windowsill will prevent a house from being struck by lightning, hence the popularity of window blind pulls decorated as acorns.
Young lovers may place two acorns, representing themselves and the object of their affection, in a bowl of water in order to predict whether they have a future together: if the acorns drift towards each other they are certain to marry.
In the 1600s, a juice extracted from acorns was administered to habitual drunkards to cure them of their condition or else to give them the strength to resist another bout of drinking.
Etymology
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word acorn (earlier akerne, and acharn) is derived from the word akran (Goth.) which meant "fruit", originally "of the unenclosed land". The word was naturally applied to the most important forest produce, that of the oak. Chaucer spoke of "achornes of okes". By degrees, popular etymology connected the word both with "corn" and "oak-horn", and the spelling changed accordingly.
By analogy with the shape, in nautical language, the word acorn also refers to a piece of wood keeping the vane on the mast-head.
External links
- Acorn flour (http://www.grove.net/~yonah/acornflour.htm)
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
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