14 Chestnut Recipes That Are Holiday Worthy (2024)

FAQs

Why don't we eat chestnuts anymore? ›

The blight spread, and within 40 years, nearly every American chestnut was dead. Other varieties of chestnut are still eaten all over the world, just as they have been for centuries.

Chestnuts compliment the flavor of meats, game, and poultry and add a wonderful sweet richness to soups, stews, and dishes with vegetables. Chestnuts are also eaten as a stuffing or cooked with pheasant, duck, goose, and chicken.

Ideally, you should aim to use them within two weeks, but under the right conditions of coolness and high humidity, they might remain good for up to three weeks. Our choice of mesh bags allows the chestnuts to breathe, preventing potential spoilage from condensation build-up if stored in non-breathable containers.

Chestnuts flooded early American cities around the holidays

Train cars filled with chestnuts used to roll into cities like Indianapolis, New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia from small towns across the country. The nuts were harvested from mid-September through November and were considered a seasonal delight.

Raw chestnuts are safe to eat for most people. However, they do contain tannic acid, which means they could cause stomach irritation, nausea, or liver damage if you have liver disease or experience a lot of kidney problems.

Global Demand & Consumption

The majority of chestnut consumption occurs in Asia and Europe, specifically China and Italy. China consumes 1.6 million metric tons, or 80% of the global share of production. Italy is the largest importer, making up 15.9% of the total global import volume (OEC, 2022).

Chestnuts contain fat-soluble vitamins (Ascorbic acid, B1, B2, B3, B6, and E) which promote healthy skin and improve brain function [15,33]. They play a key role in the aging process, help prevent blood clotting, are gluten-free, and are of great benefit to patients with celiac disease [4,34,35].

In the past, it was new wine that accompanied roasted chestnuts, or even better, a slightly sparkling wine, which cleanses the mouth of the chestnuts' mellow flavor. This is still a valid choice, but in almost all Italian regions there are other young, light red wines that pair wonderfully as well.

Chestnuts can be frozen with or without their shell, raw or cooked. Regardless of form, they can remain frozen for 2 to 3 months. If you intend to use your frozen chestnuts for roasting, then it's ideal to leave the shells intact.

Chestnuts are commonly associated with the holiday season, but are a delicious treat to enjoy all year round. It's possible to eat them raw, though they are more common roasted. Regardless of how you prepare them, chestnuts are sure to be a welcome addition to your family's table.

How do Italians eat chestnuts? ›

They are delicious eaten hot straight from the oven, as soon as you can peel them without burning your fingers. Traditionally in Italy, street vendors roast chestnuts over a wood-burning roaster, which gives them a lovely smokey taste. A huge round pan with a perforated bottom is roasted over the hot coals.

Why? The handful you're buying at the store is most likely imported. Though the U.S. imports 40 million dollars of chestnuts annually, according to the Northern Nut Growers Association, less than one percent of the world's chestnuts are grown in America.

The tree's demise started with something called ink disease in the early 1800s, which steadily killed chestnut in the southern portion of its range. The final blow happened at the turn of the 20th century when a disease called chestnut blight swept through Eastern forests.

A fungus is also threatening the chestnut season. The effect is uneven, but many trees in the Genal Valley are suffering from this plague, which translates into what is known as anthracnose, a disease that affects the leaves of the tree and prevents flowering. Chestnut trees are also endangered by an invasive species.

Sweet chestnuts are edible, but horse chestnuts are poisonous. If eaten, they can cause digestive problems such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and throat irritation. More than one in 10 cases of poisonous plants being mistaken for edible plants involve horse and sweet chestnuts.

Despite its demise as a lumber and nut crop species, the American chestnut is not extinct. The blight cannot kill the underground root system as the pathogen is unable to compete with soil microorganisms.