FOLSOM, CA — Established in 1948, the California Walnut Board represents the walnut growers and handlers of California. In fact, California’s walnuts supply over half of the world’s walnut trade. Many people are surprised to learn that over 99 percent of the walnuts in U.S. are grown in the rich fertile soils of California’s San Joaquin Valley.
There are over 4,400 California walnut growers, and most farms are owned and operated by families who have been in the walnut business for several generations. “California’s walnuts provide the goodness of a natural whole food while adding unique flavor and texture to a variety of foods from a variety of ethnic and culinary backgrounds. Known for their place in premium cooking and baking, they can also be used in snacking applications, and in unexpected ways from meat substitutes to thickeners for soups and sauces. Walnuts offer a unique flavor and texture that makes them a perfect addition to salads, sauces and spreads, and many favorite desserts and pastries,” says Jennifer Olmstead, Sr. Director of U.S. Marketing & Communications at California Walnuts.
For over 30 years, California Walnuts has supported health-related research examining the effect of walnut consumption on areas including heart health, cognition, cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, gut health, body weight/composition, reproductive health and more. Published by the New England Journal of Medicine, findings from the landmark Spanish PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterranea) trial, report that a Mediterranean diet including nuts, primarily walnuts, reduced the risk of cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular death) by 30 percent and specifically reduced the risk of stroke by 49 percent when compared to a reference diet consisting of advice on a low-fat diet (American Heart Association Guidelines).*
The walnut was first cultivated in California by the Franciscan Fathers in the late 1700s. The earliest walnuts to enter California were known as “mission” walnuts. Unlike today’s walnuts, these first entries were small with hard shells. The trees flourished in the Mediterranean-like climate zones of California, and by the 1870s modern walnut production had begun with orchard plantings in southern California, near Santa Barbara. In the next 70 years the center of California’s walnut production shifted with successful plantings in the central and northern parts of the state. Many of today’s improved cultivars are descendants of early plantings. Luther Burbank is credited with early research in California walnut cultivation.
This recipe from California Walnuts was created by Chef Joey Kistler, the former chef at the renowned Cutting Horse Restaurant in San Juan Bautista, California (now closed). It incorporates tender, juicy pork tenderloin with a fragrant Maple Syrup Walnut Sauce that makes for a distinctive entrée for any family dinner or holiday celebration.
Walnut-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
