Activating nuts for better digestibility

[ambrosia]

Has anyone here ever tried to active nuts? I don't even know exactly what that means. Do you soak them overnight in water, or in some other special liquid?
Whenever I ask at the health food store what "activating" means, they can't tell me about the exact process that is involved. All I know is that the nuts, so far I have tried walnuts and almonds, tasted softer and more intense than raw ones.
Can anyone here enlighten me a little more on this subject?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It's quite common to soak nuts overnight before use. I use the technique a lot with making my own cashew nut cheese (or almond cheese) and often when I am using nuts raw. Soaking them aids digestion (apparently) and it certainly makes using them in homemade cheeses a lot easier. If you look at a raw food diet, you will see that nuts are very frequently soaked overnight first.

some info
http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-benefits-of-soaking-nuts-and-seeds
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/beverage1/a/soaking-nuts.htm

 

[Food4thought]

I have only heard about this in relation to acorns. If you gather acorns from the wild you must leave them in water, preferably running water, overnight. This process makes acorns digestible when used for baking, roasting, cooking and as a coffee substitute..

I have eaten walnuts pickled in vinegar, which were very soft and tender.