Dulcazia is a traditional Romanian syrup made of green walnuts

Dulcazia is made all over South Eastern Europe. It is time consuming but well worth the effort. But beware: Green walnuts stain so use rubber gloves and plastic covering for clothes and work surfaces.

2 pounds of green walnuts are picked in June or July, when still fresh. Remove outer layer with a potato-peeler or scrape the nuts free with a knife. Add walnuts to a pot, cover with water and bring to boil for 15 minutes. Then repeat the procedure with fresh cold water three or four times until nuts are softened. Then drain the walnuts and place them in a clean pot covered with cold water. Let them soak for two days, changing the water every 8 hours. This procedure removes the bitter taste of the nuts.

In a pot stir 2 pounds of sugar into 2½ cup of water and slowly boil for 10 minutes. Then drain the walnuts and add to the syrup boiling them for app. 5 min. Remove from heat and let the mixture sit for 24 hours. Other recipes recommend to boil the nuts for 15 min. and repeat this 3 more times with 4 – 6 hours in between.  Return the pot to the stove and boil it over high heat letting the syrup thicken. Finally add a stick of cinnamon, cloves and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

The syrup may be drenched from the walnuts and preserved in bottles. Or the walnuts may be preserved in the syrup. Good with youghurt, fresh cheese, panne cotta or ice cream.

Read more about the success of the Romanian coop for the production and marketing of traditional preserves