Most people think they dislike walnuts. What they dislike is rancid walnuts, which is much of the walnut sold loose in India. A fresh walnut is sweet: buttery, slightly milky, with only a light tannic edge from the skin. The difference comes down to one number and one country.
What does 36+ mean in walnuts?
36+ is a walnut kernel grade meaning at least 36% of the lot comes out as whole halves rather than quarters, pieces and fragments. It sounds cosmetic, but it is about shelf life: whole halves have far less cut surface, so their fat oxidises more slowly and the kernels stay sweet for longer.
A walnut is about 65% fat: USDA FoodData Central lists 65.2 g of fat per 100 g of English walnut kernels, most of it polyunsaturated (FDC 170187). Polyunsaturated fat is the most fragile kind, and its breakdown products taste bitter.
Oxidation happens at surfaces, and a shattered kernel has cut surfaces everywhere. The kernel standard reproduced in NIFTEM's walnut handbook sorts kernels by style (halves, quarters, large pieces, broken pieces) and lets a "large pieces and halves" mix state its proportion of halves, which is what 36+ does (NIFTEM).
So a 36+ lot and a fragment-heavy lot, stored side by side for six months, do not arrive in the same condition.
Why buy walnuts from Chile?
Chile's advantage is the calendar. It is in the southern hemisphere, so its walnut harvest lands around April, roughly six months out of phase with the northern crop. Through the second half of the year, Chilean walnuts are the fresh ones on the Indian market while northern stock enters another season in storage.
The kernel is lighter. Cool nights and dry summers give a pale, low-tannin kernel. In the kernel standard NIFTEM reproduces, the "Extra" class must be uniformly light-coloured and Class I no darker than light brown.
Drying is controlled. The same standard caps kernel moisture at 5%; Chilean processing aims lower, around 3–4%. Over-dried walnuts shatter and under-dried ones grow mould.
Kashmiri walnuts are excellent, and this is not an argument against them. They are usually sold in-shell, with a different shell, and they eat differently: more intense, more tannic, more seasonal. If you can get a good Kashmiri lot in season, take it.
Should you buy walnut kernels or in-shell walnuts?
Buy in-shell walnuts if you want them to keep, and kernels if you want to eat or bake with them now. The shell is a sealed, opaque, oxygen-limiting container: in-shell walnuts hold about 6 months at room temperature, while sealed kernels start declining within about 2 months.
| In-shell | Kernels | |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | About 6 months | About 2 months sealed |
| Effort | Crack them yourself | Ready to eat |
| Breakage | Some kernels break on cracking | Graded 36+ at packing |
| Best for | Keeping, gifting, the table | Snacking, baking, salads |
There is also something in the ritual: a bowl, a cracker and nuts eaten within a minute of opening. That is the freshest a walnut gets.
Our Akhroat 36+ 500gm is the Chilean in-shell version; on 25 October 2026 it cost ₹549, or ₹109.80 per 100 g. Akhroat Giri 200gm is the Chilean 36+ kernel version at ₹449, or ₹224.50 per 100 g.
How do you tell a fresh walnut from an old one?
Check colour, smell, the finish and the break. Fresh walnut kernels are pale tan to light golden, smell faintly of butter, taste sweet to the end and snap cleanly. Old ones darken to amber-brown, smell like old paint or putty, leave a bitter finish a beat late and crumble.
- Colour first. Oxidation darkens kernels, first at the edges, then throughout. A bag of noticeably dark kernels is old, whatever the label says.
- Smell second. Rancid walnuts smell like old paint, crayon or putty. Once you have identified that smell deliberately, you will always notice it.
- Taste the finish, not the first bite. A stale walnut can taste fine for a second. The bitterness arrives late and lingers.
- Look at the break. Fresh kernels snap cleanly and the broken face looks slightly moist. Old ones crumble and look dusty.
If a walnut fails two of these, do not eat it, and do not cook with it either; heat does not remove the off-flavour.
How should you store walnuts?
Walnuts are the one dry fruit that genuinely needs the fridge. At Indian room temperature, around 30°C for much of the year, sealed shelled kernels start declining within about 2 months. Refrigerated they keep about 6 months, and frozen about 12 months with no loss of texture.
| Room temperature | Refrigerated | Frozen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-shell | 6 months | 12 months | 2 years |
| Kernels, sealed | 2 months | 6 months | 12 months |
| Kernels, opened | 3–4 weeks | 3 months | — |
Freezing works because walnuts hold too little water to form damaging ice crystals; the kernel standard allows at most 5% moisture. Freeze them in a sealed bag and take out what you need, one handful at a time.
Keep them away from onions, garlic and strong spices. Walnut fat absorbs smells, and a kernel that has spent a month next to a masala dabba tastes like it.
Are walnuts good for the brain?
The brain claim is plausible but oversold. Walnuts stand out among common nuts for alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a plant omega-3: USDA lists 9.08 g of 18:3 fatty acids per 100 g, about 2.7 g in a 30 g handful. The body converts ALA to the omega-3s used in the brain only inefficiently.
That is why walnuts are not a replacement for fish or an algal supplement. ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians name nuts and oilseeds among the foods rich in ALA and suggest a variety of nuts and oilseeds for daily fats (Guideline 7) (ICMR-NIN).
Walnuts are also dense in polyphenols, particularly ellagitannins, which gut bacteria convert into urolithins. The research is promising and not settled.
Observational studies link regular nut eating with better cognitive scores in older adults, but they cannot separate "eats walnuts" from "is the kind of person who eats walnuts". A small daily handful is a sensible habit, not a nootropic. And a rancid walnut delivers oxidised fat rather than intact omega-3.
Frequently asked questions
What does 36+ mean in walnuts? At least 36% of the kernels in the lot are whole halves rather than pieces, so less cut surface, slower oxidation and a sweeter nut for longer.
Why are my walnuts bitter? Almost certainly rancidity: the polyunsaturated fat has oxidised. A little tannic astringency from the skin is normal; a lingering paint-like finish is not.
Are Chilean walnuts better than Kashmiri? Different, not better. Chile gives a lighter, lower-tannin kernel with an off-season harvest. Kashmiri walnuts are more intense and usually sold in-shell.
How many walnuts a day? A 30 g handful is about 196 kcal (USDA). Walnuts are calorie-dense, so it adds up faster than people expect.
Can I freeze walnuts? Yes. Up to a year in the freezer with no texture loss, which is the best way to keep a large pack sweet.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, Nuts, walnuts, english (FDC 170187): fat and 18:3 fatty acids per 100 g. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians booklet, Guideline 7. nin.res.in
- NIFTEM (PMFME), Handbook of Walnut Processing: kernel classes, styles and the 5% moisture limit. niftem.ac.in
A walnut should taste sweet. If yours does not, the nut was old before it reached you.
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