Acorn Coffee

Acorn Coffee is a traditional Ancient recipe for a classic method of preparing, roasting and grinding wild acorns to make a hot drink similar to coffee. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient version of: Acorn Coffee.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Additional Time:

(+2 days drying)

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : Wild FoodBritish Recipes

Acorns contain a lot of tannin and need to be prepared to remove the excess before using. However, this tannin gives them a tea and coffee-like quality and they were much used to make drinks in the past. Traditionally the acorns would have been shelled and soaked in a river for several days to leach out the tannins before being roasted. But there's a way to cheat and it's the cheat method I present here.

Ingredients:

1kg fresh, ripe, acorns

Method:

Add the acorns to a large pan along with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling, uncovered for 15 minutes. Top-up the water as the acorns cook.

Drain in a colander, then allow to cool and peel. The boiling process will make peeling the acorns much easier. Split the acorns then set aside in a dry but warm spot for the acorns to dry out for 48 hours then grind in a coffee grinder (just as you would, coffee). Spread the grounds on a baking tray and roast in a warm oven, stirring frequently and checking often to ensure that they do not burn. You are aiming for the grounds to be a brown coffee colour.

To make a drink use a cafetiére and add 1 1/2 tsp per cup then pour water over the top and make the drink, just as you would coffee. Add milk and sugar to taste and serve. Don't expect anything that tastes remotely like coffee or tea. It's it's own kind of drink, but pleasant enough for all that.