Chestnuts

Also known asCastanea sativa · Marron · 板栗 · 栗子

Name: Chestnut (genus Castanea) — the sweet, starchy nuts of the European (Castanea sativa), Chinese (Castanea mollissima) and American (Castanea dentata) chestnut trees. They are not related to the horse chestnut (Aesculus), whose seeds are poisonous.

Description

Chestnuts have been a staple food in the mountains of southern Europe, China and Japan for thousands of years, where chestnut flour was once a vital “bread tree” crop for people who could not grow wheat. In the early 20th century, an imported fungus called chestnut blight devastated the American chestnut and killed billions of trees across eastern North America.

Unlike most nuts, chestnuts are low in fat and high in starch, which gives them a soft, sweet, floury texture. They are roasted at street stalls in Europe and Asia, used in stuffings, soups and desserts, ground into flour and made into marrons glacés, candied chestnuts.

Main nutrition value

Chestnuts are lower in fat and calories than other nuts, and provide carbohydrate, fibre, vitamin C (unusual for a nut), potassium and copper.

How best to be consumed

Chestnuts must be cooked, and are best eaten warm.

1. Score the shell with a cross and roast, boil or steam until tender, then peel while warm.
2. Use in stuffings, soups, stews and with Brussels sprouts or other vegetables.
3. Puree into desserts, or use chestnut flour in baking and pasta.
4. Buy fresh chestnuts in autumn and winter, or use cooked, vacuum-packed ones.
5. Do not confuse them with inedible horse chestnuts, which are poisonous.

Overconsumption could cause…

Chestnuts are healthy in sensible portions, but quite different from most nuts.

1. Tree nut allergy, which can be severe, so anyone allergic to nuts must avoid them and check labels for cross-contact. It can also cross-react with latex allergy.
2. Poisoning from eating horse chestnuts by mistake, which are inedible.
3. Digestive discomfort, such as bloating, from a lot of starch and fibre at once.
4. Weight gain from sweetened products such as candied chestnuts and chestnut spread.

GroupsTree NutsLow fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin C

Related foodsCashewsPistachiosBlack WalnutsAlmondsHazelnutsBrazil Nuts

Wikipedia — Chestnut, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut