Walnut

The walnut (Juglans regia) is a deciduous tree from the walnut family (Juglandaceae), comprising about twenty varieties. It reaches up to 40 m in height with a crown diameter of around 20 m. It flowers at the end of April and beginning of May and bears fruit in September. Its lifespan is about 200 years, though specimens of record age—500 or even 1,000 years—exist! Owing to their longevity, they were regarded as sacred trees in the Roman Empire.

The walnut is considered one of the most ancient plants on Earth—it grew as early as the Tertiary period, i.e., tens of millions of years ago. A passage from the biblical books explains how the world was created and what role the walnut played in it: “…The earth came to be, at first like a great platter, then like a threshing floor, in the middle of which the Lord planted a walnut and hung a golden cradle on it, in which He swung and fell asleep.” According to one of the many legends associated with the walnut, Moses’ miraculous staff was carved from walnut wood, from a tree that grew in the Garden of Eden. St. Patrick, venerated by all Irish, also had a staff made of walnut.

The first written records of the walnut in Europe date to the 6th century BCE. Pliny testifies that in Greece the walnut was brought from the gardens of the Persian king Cyrus II the Great. A legend tells that the daughter of the Greek king Carya was beloved of the god Dionysus, but tragedy struck and the maiden died. Dionysus then turned her into a walnut tree, and Artemis brought the sorrowful news to Carya’s father and ordered him to build a temple in her honor. The columns were made of wood in the form of a young woman and were called caryatids—nymphs of the Greek walnut.

Modern historians believe the walnut’s homeland is Iran or India, while some point to China or Japan. A French expedition found roasted walnut shells more than 8,000 years old in the lands of present-day Iraq—Babylon. This is also borne out by the writings of the Mesopotamians. Clay tablets note that walnut trees were widely planted in the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon. In Europe the walnut spread thanks to trade along the Silk Road—a route between Asia and the Middle East. In northern Europe it was imported from Persia, where it was cultivated only for royalty; hence its name “Persian walnut.” Through intensive maritime trade in the following century, the walnut spread around the world.

The health benefits of walnuts have been known since time immemorial. The healers of antiquity—Avicenna and Hippocrates—described their remarkable properties and recommended them to strengthen the activity of the brain, heart, and liver, as well as to normalize digestion. Plato even developed a theory that walnuts move and can think. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, in ancient Babylon the priests strictly forbade commoners to eat walnuts, since they improve brain function, which the populace did not “need.” Because the fruit’s specific shape resembles the human brain, from ancient times in the mythologies and cultures of both Asian and European peoples the walnut has enjoyed a special regard.

Different countries have various beliefs, myths, and legends connected with the walnut. In Greece, walnuts were a symbol of wealth, while in Rome they were considered a very important accessory at every wedding. In Bulgarian traditional culture, the walnut is honored as a sacred tree not only for its centuries-long life, but also as a valuable food and medicine. The walnut is the guardian of the home and brings health, longevity, and fertility.