About this candied green walnut
Picked while still green, before the shell has hardened, then boiled slowly and repeatedly in a sugar-and-honey syrup until the whole walnut — soft enough by then to eat entire, husk and all — turns a deep, glossy near-black. A traditional Armenian preserve, closer in spirit to a fruit preserve than to a snacking nut.
The texture is dense and jammy rather than crunchy, with the bittersweet, resinous flavour particular to an unripe walnut. Sulphur dioxide (E220) is used as a preservative during production; no artificial colouring is added — the depth of colour comes from the syrup and the boiling. Contains sulphites.
Eat it as its own rich preserve, spoon it over yoghurt or ice cream, or serve it the traditional way — a spoon sweet alongside strong coffee.
