Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Sounds familiar? They are the lyrics to the famous "The Christmas Song" sung by Nat King Cole.
Vendors roasting chestnuts at street corners around the holidays is a common scene in Europe. In the U.S., not so much, as the American chestnut trees were wiped out by the fungal disease called chestnut blight a century ago. Once called "the Redwood of the East," the gigantic American chestnut tree was an amazing food source for wildlife and people. Some trees survived. Our first encounter with fresh chestnuts was in Maryland, and recently in Tennessee.
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| Chestnut vendor at Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) in Rome |
Last month, our gracious neighbors delighted us with 50 pounds of chestnuts. The husband had to compete with the deer to get to these delicious nuts :-) Thank you Derwood and Georgia!
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| 50 lbs of chestnuts |
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| The majestic chestnut tree on a lovely fall day |
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We boiled the chestnuts, and cook them with rice and oatmeal.
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| Chestnut in oatmeal |
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| Delicious puff pastry with chestnut chocolate filling. |
Ahh! Glazed chestnuts. Somehow, we could never get this right. We followed the recipe in How to make Marrons Glacés (Candied Chestnuts), made it twice and still could not get the chestnuts to be soft enough. The hot and dry summer could have something to do with it. Chestnut connoisseur relatives who got the bulk of the chestnuts concurred.
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| Marrons Glacés (Candied Chestnuts) |
Do you like chestnuts? What are your experiences with them?
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.JPG "Happy Thanksgiving!")
Chestnuts, how delightful! My maternal grandmother sometimes would put chestnuts in her turkey stuffing, and it was delicious!! Happy T day, and Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI love chestnuts! Your recipes look wonderful. I grew up in London and in winter chestnut vendors stood at street corners or by bus stops and sold their wares. I loved having a little bag of them to warm my fingers and my insides! Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteWhat a magnificent tree! I've never had roasted chestnuts. I just never see them offered around here and have never tried doing it myself.
ReplyDeleteHappy T Tuesday!
This is fascinating Eileen. I know we have very few chestnut trees around in New England, which is really sad. I did know about the blight, but I did not know they were the redwood of the east however. Your chestnut treats look yummy. I recently bought a jar of European chestnut puree, and I'm excited to try it. Especially now seeing your treats. Have a great rest of your T day and week ahead, and Happy Thanksgiving too. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteThank you Erika. I didn't know how gigantic those chestnut trees are until i took that picture and read more about them.
DeleteYou have great Thanksgiving too!
Wow! That is a lot of chestnuts. To be honest I have never eaten a chest nut. You have made some great recipes with them and I am impressed with that. It is a gift to have them. Have a lovely day today.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Hope you feel better. Happy Thanksgiving!
Deleteyummy!!! I adore them. in Croatia, chestnut pure with whipped cream is very popular in winter. happy holiday.
ReplyDeleteIt's popular in France also. They called it Mont Blanc; I've only had it from Angelina's. I've attempted to make only the simplest of recipes. Mont Blanc looks like a lot of work.
DeleteHappy Holidays!
I have never been a big fan of chestnuts. They have always been available at German Christmas markets, but I always was the one who would go for the roasted almonds. I still miss them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun article! Thank you for bringing back wonderful childhood memories - street vendors stir frying chestnuts in super sized wok. The aroma, the sweet and chewy texture of the fruit ... Yum! The pictures are really amazing complements.
ReplyDeleteDespite growing up on the East Coast i have no experience with Chestnuts.. Thank you for sharing yours! Happy T day! Hugs! deb
ReplyDeleteChestnuts! Yummmmm! 😋
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the loss of the chestnut trees in America.
Love your photos as always, Eileen.
Happy Thanksgiving
I love chestnuts although we don't see much of them in shops. My French neighbour asks me to look out for them. Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I have heard the song about the chestnuts roasting but I don't think I have ever had one to eat! 50 pounds, it looks like you put them to good use.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late visiting your T Tuesday post. I caught a bug that knocked me out. Happy belated Thanksgiving, too.
ReplyDeleteI had NO idea there were so many ways to prepare chestnuts. My grandmother (grands raised me from birth) used them in stuffing a few times. I can't say I was happier with the chestnut stuffing,. because I was so familiar with the regular stuffing she made. I really LOVED your post on chestnuts and how to prepare them for eating. They certainly look great with your coffee. Thanks for sharing.
I got a "failed to publish." It's bad enough I was late visiting!! Not sure when you will see this.
Chestnuts on an open fire...being roasted is an uncommon site here where I live. I have seen it in the past of all places downtown Chicago. I purchased a handful and ate them on a very cold dark day near the Fair Store (gone for a long time).
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tree! Never had chestnuts that were roasted. I just haven't seen them around here, and I haven't tried any.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Please read my last post. Have a great week!
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/11/sometimes-you-have-to-accept-that-you-are-the-problem.html
What a great posting on Chestnuts! I enjoy chestnuts but have so much problems shelling them that I don't cook them.
ReplyDeleteSue
What fabulous neighbours you have! 50 lbs of chestnuts is a wonderful gift, and you look like you have all the perfect recipes too. I'm just off to the German Christmas markets and so will be thinking of you as I taste my own chestnuts. It is such a lovely time of year! Have fun enjoying your chestnuts Eileen!
ReplyDeleteWren x
wow 50 pounds of chestnuts! I actually bought some last week and plan to make a pie with them, sorry for the late comment, my browser wouldn't allow me to comment last week. Happy T Day!
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