By Robert Neff
It is claimed that man has been eating walnuts since 7, 000 B.C. Originating in Central Asia, they were once reserved for the palettes of Persian royalty but were eventually traded along the Silk Road and eventually spread throughout Asia. A Chinese man named Chang-gon supposedly introduced them into China where they were readily cultivated.
Walnuts, known in Korea as “hodu,” are said to have been first introduced into this country over a thousand years ago in the Silla Kingdom. It is not quite clear when or how the introduction took place but it may have involved the early Chinese and Arab traders. Silla peasants were encouraged to grow walnut trees and use the nuts, along with pine seeds, to pay part of their taxes.
But not everyone agrees that walnuts were introduced into Korea at such an early date. Yu Cheong-sin is given credit as introducing the walnut in 1290. During a trip to China, he acquired a walnut seedling and some fruit and carefully brought them back to his home near Cheonan. He planted the seedling at Gwangdeok Temple and the fruit at his home thus beginning the walnut industry that Cheonan is so famous for — nearly 50 percent of Korea’s walnuts are grown in this area.
A very ancient walnut tree — over 400 years old — stands in front of the temple. Whether this is the original tree Yu planted or one planted later is unclear but it has been designated Natural Monument No. 398.
Speaking of old walnut trees, according to one knowledgeable Western expat, in 1902 there were only three walnut trees in Seoul: “One at the Ancestral Temple (Jongmyo), one at Changdeok Palace and one in the present German Consulate grounds.” The walnut tree at Jongmyo still stands.
Walnuts play an interesting part in Korean history. On “daeboreum” (the first full moon) walnuts and other nuts are eaten so as to ward off disease. Korean walnuts were also used to help determine the future. When the shell was cracked, if the nut was whole it was considered a good omen but if the nut was broken it was seen as a sign of bad things to come. It was also common during the Joseon period to refer to people with badly pock-marked faces as ‘“walnut-faced, referring to the roughness of the walnut meat.”
Walnuts are still quite popular — and expensive. One of the most popular ways to eat walnuts is in the form of Cheonan “hodu gwaja” (walnut cookies). These cookies are actually small walnut-shaped cakes with a creamy filling made from walnuts. The originator of these tasty little snacks was Cho Gwi-geum who, in 1934, after learning about baking in Japan, returned to Korea and created these little cakes and sold them in his family bakery in Cheonan. These wonderful little treats are sold throughout the country on trains and are often purchased as small gifts.
Robert Neff is a contributing writer to The Korea Times.