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Ola’s food journey

A selection of what I have prepared with acorns over the years.

All my life, I was told that acorns were poisonous and unfit for consumption. Now, many years later, I eat this remarkable nut almost daily – a food that has served as a staple crop for humanity across large parts of the world for millennia.

But it was only out of desperation that I chose to pick them up that hot late-summer day in 2018. I was in the middle of a difficult and costly legal process with my former employer, and I feared that I might soon find myself with nothing – burdened by heavy debt and without money for food.

The first dish, 2018

The first acorn-based dish I ever made was a small vegan burger made from hot-leached acorns – the very first acorns I had gathered for this purpose. I was inspired by Mia Wasilevich, who wrote the book Ugly Little Greens. I used her acorn burger recipe as a starting point, and it turned out to be a good beginning to what would become my long journey with acorns.

The acorns were hot-leached by boiling.

Soy-marinated acorn “meat,” 2018

One of my first successful experiments using acorn flour as a binding agent.

Cooked acorn meal, pressed and dried into flat cakes, with stir-fried pak choi, spring onions, celery, a little garlic, and barberries gathered nearby. This was mixed together with some rice and shaped into balls. Finely ground acorn flour was used as a binder. Seasoned with five-spice, chili flakes, coriander, and lime.

Acorn teriyaki, 2018

Here I used hot-leached, flattened, and dried acorn flakes. I softened them by simmering them slowly in teriyaki sauce. They develop a texture similar to dried meat – slightly firm and chewy.

I then strained off the sauce into a saucepan and fried the softened, marinated acorns to give them a bit of crispness on the outside.

Acorn crisp, 2018

Vanilla ice cream with fried, crispy, seasoned acorn flakes and syrup.

Oaknutella, 2018, based on a found recipe

An attempt to create a Nutella-inspired spread using acorns. It turned out fairly well, but requires further refinement.

Acorn hash, 2018

Hot-leached (boiled) dried acorn pieces, marinated in a little water with salt, pepper, wild seasoning, bay leaf, and fresh thyme. This was mixed with chopped and sautéed silver-skinned onions, celery, pak choi, garlic, and carrot.

Mayonnaise, cornichons, barberries, thyme, and capers were added, and the mixture was used as a spread on bread.

Acorn cheese, 2019

Recepy by Pascal Baudar

"It's an unusual cheese a bit because leached acorns are quite brownish but I really love the flavors. The cheese has a nice smoky tang and a definite "cheese" flavor profile. I used honey in the recipe to sweeten it a bit and next time I'll use a bit less but it's really not a problem, the sweet accent is nearly perfect. The cheese reminds me of some European mild goat cheese served with walnuts and honey. If you combine all those flavors, you'll come close to what I taste in that acorn cheese. Of course you also taste the herbs on top so you can add an extra layer of flavors by creating savory crusts. "

Acorn balls, 2019

Acorn flour with pine nuts, cashews, fennel, garlic, acorn pieces, chili flakes, and coriander.

Acorn toast, 2019

Acorn toast made with excellent ingredients from Högtorp Farm, pickled spruce shoots and spruce tips, and a mayonnaise made with spruce shoot oil.

I used fresh acorns, split and hot-leached by boiling.

Acorn burger, 2019

50% mixed ground meat and 50% acorn mince. It worked really well – one of the first experiments with a more classic-style burger.

Fried rice and acorn balls, 2019

Here I combined rice with chopped, hot-leached acorns. I mixed them together and rolled the mixture in flour, egg, and then cornmeal before deep-frying in oil.

Macaroni with acorn mince sauce, 2019

About 65% acorn and 35% ground pork, with onion, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. The kids were very happy with it. It would certainly be possible to replace the pork with another type of mince – perhaps even make it 100% acorn, although the protein content would be lower in comparison.

Acorn pasta, 2019

Since I had some acorn mince left over, I took the opportunity to try Oakmeal’s acorn pasta, which I had ordered from Kea, Greece. It exceeded my expectations.

(B)acorn burger, 2020

Made with boiled acorns as the base, combined with dried pieces that had been soaked in water for a while to add some bite, along with a few crushed hazelnuts. I used acorn flour as a binding agent.

Acorn bubbles, 2020

One of my first attempts at making acorn wine, using dried, leached acorn halves, water, and sugar. Acorns have a surprisingly strong fermentation activity, which is fascinating – but it’s important to keep an eye on it. It usually takes around three days before it starts to bubble.

Ola’s Acorn Balls, Christmas 2020

My biggest challenge was finding the right balance in texture and creating a satisfying bite. That’s why I also used other nuts in this version to achieve it.

Acorn seed crackers, 2021

I was heading to the old-growth forests outside Mora with an inspiring group of people. There, we would immerse ourselves in the wild and beautiful chaos of nature and catch a glimpse of the past – before clear-cutting and industrial forestry, when humans adapted to nature, not the other way around.

What could be more fitting than bringing along some seed crackers made from acorn flour?

The first Racca, 2021

Traditionally also known as racahout. This acorn-based drink originated in North Africa and was very popular in parts of Europe during the 19th century, but was eventually outcompeted by the more commercial and exotic cocoa.

It was mainly used as a warm, nourishing, creamy drink.

Acorn-filled dumplings, 2021

Here I used thinly sliced acorn flakes (leached and dried), which I pre-boiled for about 15 minutes to soften them. They were then marinated for about an hour to develop flavor. After that, they were ground together with vegetables and spices into a mince.

Three acorn patties, 2021

Patty 1 = 100% acorn
Patty 2 = 75% acorn, 25% ground meat
Patty 3 = 50% acorn, 50% ground meat

They turned out far better than expected.

Acorn biscuits, 2021

Here I started from a recipe for almond biscuits. Acorn flour behaves a bit differently from other flours, as it often contains a high amount of starch. These turned out crisp and very good.

The first really good burger, 2021

After nearly three years of experimenting, I finally reached one of my goals – to make good, flavorful acorn sliders. Completely gluten-free (including the buns) and without any meat.

Acorn triple burger, 2021

An Asian-inspired acorn triple burger. The texture and flavor of the patties were incredible. Acorn mince mixed with potato starch and breadcrumbs created a perfect balance of chewiness and crunch.

The first acorn porridge, 2021

The morning started with coffee and a bowl of acorn porridge – my first ever, in fact! Really good, though I’ll try using a coarser grind next time, as it turned out a bit grainy.

This is something people ate on a daily basis thousands of years ago.

Acorn crispbread, 2021

Acorn crispbread. This may well be one of the earliest forms of bread humans ever ate. Drops of acorn porridge falling onto hot stones and transforming into crisp, brittle pieces.

Acorn tacos, 2021

I started by sautéing jalapeño, garlic, and silver-skinned onion. Then I added chopped tomatoes, a couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander, a teaspoon of oregano, and the acorn mince.

The mince consisted of hot-leached acorns (boiled), a bit of potato starch, gluten-free breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and a little water.

A success. Acorns work so well in so many dishes!

The first crumble, 2021

A gluten-free, rich and crunchy crumble where I replaced wheat flour with acorn flour (both coarse and finely ground). It turned out extremely good – autumnal and filling.

Dried acorn noodles, 2021

Imagine if we here in Scandinavia had developed our own ancient noodle tradition! What might those dishes have looked like?

Dotori naengmyeon, 2021

A Korean dish. It is a cold noodle soup (sometimes even served with ice cubes). The noodles in this type of soup (naengmyeon) are made from different kinds of starch, such as rice or potato. In this case, acorn starch is used.

“Pork fillet” made from acorns, 2021

I tried frying steamed acorn starch, and the result was truly exciting. It had a good bite, a great texture, and a mild flavor. Acorn starch does not have the same dark color as the flour, yet the result still comes out surprisingly meat-like.

That’s a big advantage, since most people eat with their eyes.

Acorn papadams, 2021

Delicious and crispy acorn papadams. Here I’m dipping them in a sauce made with lime, soy sauce, syrup, sesame oil, coriander, and chopped piri-piri. The slightly thicker pieces that were dried turned into incredibly good snacks.

Scandinavian noodle soup, 2021

I started by sautéing Brussels sprouts and shallots, then let them simmer in about one liter of vegetable broth. After around 30 minutes, I strained the soup and chopped some of the cooked Brussels sprouts.

I brought water to a boil and cooked the dried acorn noodles for about 3 minutes. Then I poured the soup into bowls and garnished it with butter-fried forest mushrooms, chopped flat-leaf parsley, thinly sliced spring onions, and the chopped Brussels sprouts.

Seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little lemon.

The first gingerbread cookies, 2021

What is Christmas without festive acorn cookies! The dough was a bit crumbly, but once in the oven, something like a small miracle happened – out came crisp and delicious cookies.

Since I didn’t have all the spices typically used for gingerbread, I settled for cinnamon and cardamom, which worked perfectly well.

Three acorns challenge, 2021

Here I set myself a challenge – the “Three Acorn Challenge.” For this starter theme, I used only three acorns (six halves) for each dish. The acorns were gathered in 2018 and cold-leached whole over a couple of months.

Three acorns challenge, 2021

A small butter-fried acorn patty on gluten-free bread with lingonberry jam, topped with Malabar spinach.