Acorn noodle soup

Acorn noodle soup
Hangul	도토리국수
Revised Romanization	dotori gooksoo
McCune–Reischauer	acorn noodles

Acorn noodles or "dotori gooksoo" are Korean noodles made from either acorn flour or starch and some combination of grain-based flour (usually buckwheat or wheat) and salt. Acorns from both red and white oak species are used to make acorn noodles, however, ingredient labels do not list the exact trees from which acorns are harvested, despite each oak species having a distinct flavor. This lack of labeling is most likely due to the large number of oak species, which makes it difficult to recognize and document each type and the proportions of acorns used as well as increasing oak hybridization, particularly among the white oak species.

Origins

Humans have relied upon acorns as food since the Neolithic times, as it may be surmised from the stored acorns found at a number of Neolithic sites, including one in Amsa-dong, South Korea. Since all acorns contain bitter tannins, with the amount varying according to each species, leaching out the tannins was necessary to make the acorns edible. After the tannin had been removed, acorns were ground into flour using a saddle quern and milling stone. The exact birthplace of acorn noodles is uncertain, but one area in Korea with a long-standing reputation for acorn cultivation is Ogam Village. This little Korean village, nestled by the Namhangang River, is famous for their mountainous climate and landscape, which is conducive toward large-scale acorn cultivation. The village produces dozens of acorn-based foods, including dotori kalguksoo (acorn knife-cut noodles).

Varieties

There are two varieties of acorn noodles available in the market: flour-based soba and starch-based vermicelli.

Starch-Based Acorn Noodles

Acorn vermicelli noodles or dotori naengmyeon (hangul: 냉면 도토리) are made from acorn starch and some combination of potato, rice, or arrowroot starch, wheat flour and salt. The dried noodles resemble brown plastic threads about 1/10-1/8 cm in diameter. Cooked properly and typically eaten cold, acorn-based naengmyeon noodles have a high elasticity and chewy consistency.

Flour-Based Acorn Noodles

Acorn soba noodles or in Korean, dotori gooksoo (hangul: 도토리국수) are made from acorn flour and some combination of grain-based flours, such as buckwheat and corn, and salt. Acorn soba noodles are more natural and healthy than the starch-based acorn vermicelli noodles. The Japanese version of these noodles, donguri-men (Japanese:どんぐり), typically has less acorn flour than the original Korean version. The raw noodles resemble standard buckwheat soba noodles, but the noodles slightly coarser in cut and texture and more brittle. Cooked acorn soba noodles are nuttier in flavor, healthier, and a bit saltier than buckwheat noodles. In particular, acorn soba noodles contain many antioxidants and may be considered an adaptogenic (anti-cancerous) food.

Differences Between Starch and Flour Bases

A common problem among Korean-manufactured products is that their ingredient labels are often not properly translated. Acorn starch is frequently mislabeled as acorn flour or acorn powder. In reality, acorn starch is essentially highly-refined acorn flour, devoid of fiber, fat, and almost all nutrition. While the acorn itself does indeed contain acorn starch, that starch is not highly-refined. Acorn starch, in contrast, is extracted from the meat of the kernel using a wet process and then dehydrated. The heart, or germ, of the kernel is removed and used for producing acorn oil, which is comparable in flavor and quality to olive oil. The hull is separated from the kernel meat, and the starch is extracted from the kernel meat. It might be more accurate to use the term “acorn meal”, although a meal is a coarser, less refined version of flour.

Marketing and Product Availability

Both flour and starch-based acorn noodles are available in upscale Korean markets. A few Japanese markets also carry acorn soba noodles, but in general, acorn soba noodles are difficult to find. Acorn soba noodles are very widespread within a niche Korean health-orientated community, many of whom are also 7th day Adventists, a religious organization that values healthy, vegetarian cuisine. Acorn soba noodles have not been available to the wider public until the advent of Acorn Hut, the online organic Asian food store.

References

• University Of Richmond. "Researchers Tackle The Nutty Truth On Acorns And Squirrels." ScienceDaily 26 November 1998. 29 April 2008.
• Use of Acorns for Food in California: Past, Present, Future, David A. Bainbridge Presented at the Symposium on Multiple-use Management of California's Hardwoods, November 12-14, 1986, San Luis Obispo, California.
• Acorns: The Grain That Grows on Trees
• Katherine J. Meyers, Tedmund J. Swiecki, and Alyson E. Mitchell, Understanding the Native Californian Diet: Identification of Condensed and Hydrolyzable Tannins in Tanoak Acorns (Lithocarpus densiflorus): Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2006, 54, 76867691
• Ortiz, Bev. It Will Live Forever: Traditional Yosemite Indian Acorn Preparation (Berkeley: Heyday Books, 1991)
• Pavlik, Bruce M., Pamela C. Muick, Sharon Johnson, and Marjorie Popper, 1991 Oaks of California. Los Olivos: Cachuma press and the California Oak Foundation.
• McCarthy, Helen 1993 Managing Oaks and the Acorn Crop. In Before the Wilderness: Environmental Management by Native Californians, edited by Thomas C. Blackburn and Kat Anderson. Menlo Park: Ballena Press.