noix

Walnuts grow well, especially in the Dordogne valley where the round Noix de Périgord is designated AOP. Many go into huile de noix, walnut oil, which is lovely on salads, with a bit of lemon juice. Cerneaux de noix are the kernels.

Traditionally, nothing on a walnut tree goes to waste: the green nuts are made into eau de noix liqueur, an essential ingredient of a fénelon and into brou de noix, for staining your beams black. Dried walnuts go into a thousand sweet and savoury recipes, while the shells can be ground up for kitty litter. The wood is used for furniture or shutters or gor burning in a wood stove.

Noix can also mean the meat of a scallop, as in the noix de saint jacques or noix de pétoncle; it can also mean a medallion or the boneless centre of a leg of lamb, noix de gigot d’agneau or pork, noix de porc.