Foraging in Virginia Highlands Park
If you walk along Joyce Street in the fall you might notice Asian women picking up acorns from the ground near the softball fields of Virginia Highlands Park. Why, you might wonder, are they collecting the acorns when even the squirrels aren’t interested in them?
The trees that line the east side of that block of South Joyce are Quercus acutissimaor Sawtooth Oak. (Some of these trees line the parking lot of the upper soccer field, too.) Native to China, Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, and the Himalayas, these lovely oaks have been widely planted in many areas outside their natural range. They have long, toothed leaves and plentiful acorns with a distinctive cap that is covered in soft bristles.
It’s the nut of the acorn that is used in Korean cooking. Acorns have been a staple in the cuisines of many cultures, but preparing them is time consuming—you can’t just shell them and pop them in the oven to roast. Acorns are full of varying amounts of bitter tannins, depending on the species. Although Quercus acutissima has been planted in America largely to provide wildlife food, its acorns of are so bitter that squirrels and other wildlife eat them only when food is scarce. However, the acorns can be dried and ground into a flour, which is soaked in water. The starch sinks, and the water containing the bitter tannins is discarded (rinse and repeat, over and over).
The main use of this starch is to make a dish called dotorimuk, or acorn jelly. I’ve never eaten it, but from what I can tell, it has the consistency guava paste or super-concentrated Jello. It is usually made in a pan, sliced when fully set, and then mixed with vegetables and tossed with a soy-sesame sauce.
Go into any Korean market and you can buy acorn starch. Whether the women who collect the acorns are frugal, purists, or just enjoy the forage-to-table experience, who knows? Next time I see somebody out there, I’ll ask.
By Natasha Atkins