Archaeological sites in the Middle East from 750K years ago include evidence of acorn consumption by early hominids. Some anthropologists claim that the abundance of acorn in California is why there are so few stories of famine and starvation in native Californian cultures prior to colonization.

Acorn is a Shared Global Heritage

Acorns, or oak nuts, have been one of humanity’s essential staple crops since for thousands of years. While those of us who grew up in California probably remember learning about the Native Americans eating acorn, what most of us didn’t learn is that acorn was also eaten globally, from Europe to Asia.

This is to say that if you have European or Asian ancestry, chances are that you have acorn consumption in your family tree somewhere, as it were. Where there were oak trees, there were people eating its nuts.

Why don’t we eat acorn anymore?

People do still eat acorns: they’re an important crop in Korea and China, and are consumed as specialty foods in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. And, of course, many Native Californians still harvest and eat them as a staple food. As to why most Americans don’t eat acorn anymore, there are really two primary reasons:

1) Acorns can’t be eaten off the tree. They’re full of tannins and require leaching. It’s not hard, but it is time-consuming. (If you want to try, check out these instructions on how to prepare acorn.)

2) Acorns were considered a “low class” food. Eurocentric culture has a long history of classism removing us from indigenous foodways: things that can be procured for free are seen as less desirable than things we can purchase, to the point that we Americans were convinced that canned soup was better than the chicken stock our great-grandmas made from a chicken carcass. In addition to that, American settlers were quick to distance themselves - and the indigenous tribes - from indigenous foods, farming, and harvest practices. In short, American food culture has a regrettably long history of wiping out perfectly sustainable, low-cost, nutritious foods and food systems that give back to the land. If you want to learn more, Michael Pollan covers some of it in “In Defense of Food.”

Why should we eat acorn again?

The bigger question is: why aren’t we already eating acorn again?

Acorn is delicious, nutritious, gluten-free, higher in protein than grains, and it requires no irrigation. It’s estimated that 1 trillion pounds of acorn fall and rot each year, all while corporations are monopolizing California’s water to irrigate non-native nut trees, most of which are exported. This isn’t great, and it isn’t going to last: increasing weather extremes and water conservation needs will, at some point, win out over the almonds.

So: eating food that already grows natively is a win. Protecting old growth oak forests for acorn harvets is a win. Saving trillions of gallons of water is a win. Making the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had with acorn flour that is low-glycemic and gluten-free is also a win.

Check out eatacorn.com for lots of acorn recipes - acorn bourbon brownies? Yes, please.

How can we eat acorn again?

Beyond harvesting your own nuts or those on a friend’s property, it’s admittedly hard to find quality acorn flour online. We’re in the process of raising enough money to build an acorn factory, and your interest in pre-ordering the acorn flour can help make that a reality. Please sign up below and we’ll let you know when we’re ready for pre-ordering, currently slated for June 2025.

Now what?

Well, if you are going through the trouble of harvesting your own acorn, here’s a recipe for you!

Acorn Cinnamon cookies

Recipe developed by Jed Wheeler of Manzanita Cooperative
These cookies fall somewhere in the hypothetical space between a peanut butter cookie and a snickerdoodle. They are sweet without being overly sweet and avoid the oily mouth feel of many peanut butter cookies. When I first developed the recipe I intended to send them to potential investors in Manzanita, but my kids and wife decided they were too good to be allowed to leave the house and devoured them all. So I had to make more. If you intend to have any left to share, I suggest you double the recipe.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups wheat flour
1 cup acorn flour
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup unrefined raw sugar or 1/2 cup each of white sugar and brown sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
(Optional) 1 cup of leached and chopped acorn bits or pine nuts

Process

In a large mixing bowl mix together butter and sugar until the texture becomes light and fluffy. If you’re using an electric mixer this will likely take 3-4 minutes
Add eggs, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix in until smooth
Add flours and nuts, stir in gently
Turn on oven to pre-heat to 375
Use a spoon to scoop out dough and roll it into balls in your hand of 1 to 1.5 inches across
Place on baking tray and use a fork to mash them down
Bake for 15 minutes
Remove from heat and let cool

It’s time to eat acorn (again)