Best Chestnuts Types in the World
This chestnut is the fruit of the Longal varietal, grown in the Vila Real and Bragança districts in Portugal. These chestnuts are harvested manually when they fall to the ground, and the use of any mechanical instruments or tools during harvesting is forbidden.
They are reddish-brown with a bright longitudinal stripe on the exterior, and their flavor is intense and quite aromatic. Terra Fria chestnuts can be frozen or processed into jams, syrups, or caldas. They are a common accompaniment to traditional dishes such as fried meat or pork roasts, and they are also to produce bread, cakes, and chestnut flower.
One of the most common Turkish fruits is definitely the chestnut from the fruitful Aydin province, grown for a thousand years in the high plains near the Buyuk Menderes river. Due to its high mineral and nutritional contents, these chestnuts are valuable as natural power food used to remedy mental and physical exhaustion occurring in winter months.
Aydin chestnut contains less fat than other shelled fruits, and it is a rich source of linoleic acid. The origin of the chestnut is unknown, however there is a high probability that the Turkish region of Anatolia is in fact its homeland, and it is believed to have been spread from Anatolia through Greece to the rest of the Mediterranean.
Châtaigne d'Ardéche are sweet chestnuts of the ancient local varieties of Castanea sativa Miller grown and harvested in the Ardéche, the largest chestnut-producing region in France, with an annual Chestnut Festival and even a Chestnut museum in the medieval town of Joyeuse.
They can be used for making chestnut flour, or may come as fresh unpeeled chestnuts or peeled dry chestnuts. The taste is uniquely sweet, with aromas of pastry, sweet potatoes, honey, onion squash and pain au lait. For dried chestnuts, there are aromas of nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and cake, sometimes accompanied by a slightly bitter flavor.
Named after a little town settled in the province of Avellino in Campania, the Montella chestnut has been growing in this area since the early Middle Ages. These versatile nuts of the Palummina and Verdole varieties are harvested in October and traditionally enjoyed during winter festivities, especially around Christmas when the famous Castagne del Prete are prepared.
First, they are baked and smoked over a very low fire of chestnut wood for as long as a fortnight! Afterwards, they are roasted in ventilated ovens and lastly, soaked in water. Apart from Castagne del Prete, Montella chestnuts can be found dried (with or without their shells), prepared as Confettura di Castagne (chestnut jam) or even dried and ground as Farina di Castagne (chestnut flour).
This variety of chestnuts is cultivated in the numerous valleys surrounding the town of Cuneo, where origins of some of the oldest chestnut orchards can be traced back to the 16th century when the royal House of Savoy kept written annual harvest records about the quantity and characteristics of these prized nuts.
Cuneo chestnuts are cultivated at a relatively low altitude of about 200 to 1000m above sea level, and they thrive best in a temperate subcontinental climate, growing in well-drained soil, rich in organic matter. The chestnuts of Cuneo are marketed in four varieties: Castagne Fresche (fresh), Essiccate (dried), Fiocchi di Castagna (chestnut flakes), and Farina di Castagna (chestnut flour).
Marrone di Serino, or castagna di Serino is a variety of medium-large chestnut from Campania. The flesh is firm and crunchy with medium sweetness, and it is widely used in cooking. Boiled or roasted, marrone di Serino can be enjoyed on its own or used as an ingredient in the preparation of both savory and sweet dishes.
Some of the local savory delicacies using these precious chestnuts are zuppa di marroni di Serino and caldarroste di marrone di Serino, while the most popular desserts include cakes and tarts such as crostata di marrone di Serino, crostata con crema di Marrone di Serino e cioccolato, or tronchetto al cioccolato con marrone di Serino.
Named after a small town settled west from the Calore Lucano River, the chestnuts of Roccadaspide are fresh or dried fruits of the Anserta, Abate and Castagna Rossa cultivars grown in the province of Salerno, all of which are characterized by large size and a particularly sweet flavor due to their high glucose content.
Roccadaspide chestnuts were once the main source of food for the local population, especially the chestnut flour which was used for making long-lasting breads. Today, they are more often enjoyed roasted, glazed, pureed, prepared as a side dish for game meat or used as an ingredient in a number of local desserts.
Grown in the Piedmont's province of Turin, namely the fertile Susa Valley, Marrone della Valle di Susa refers to the chestnut variety characterized by a particular crunchy consistency of flesh, the sweet flavor and an indisputably unique aroma.
Even though Susa Valley chestnuts were probably cultivated since the Roman era, most written records can be traced back to the Middle Ages when the most noted groves were the Castagneretum di Templeris which belonged to the Templars. Marrone della Valle di Susa is excellent roasted but it can also be used as an ingredient in many recipes, from hors d’oeuvres to desserts.
Grown in the woods of Monte Baldo, a botanical haven of Alpine flora nestled between the Adige River and lake Garda in Veneto, Marrone di San Zeno is a sweet chestnut cultivar characterized by a particularly strong sweet flavor and a doughy texture.
Rich in starch, the chestnuts of San Zeno have high energy and nutritional values. They are consumed either fresh, cooked, roasted or used for making bread, pasta and polenta as well as delicious desserts like Tronchetto, a chestnut and chocolate log cake.
This chestnut is produced mainly from the Barea and Clarinha varietals, which are cultivated in the Portalegre district in the Alentejo region of Portugal. They are harvested after they fall from the tree, and they are then sorted, graded, and dried using special equipment.
Sturdy and hard, their color ranges from light brown to dark red with a shiny, waxy exterior. The distinctive flavor of Marvão-Portalegre chestnuts is so popular that they are used in a variety of regional dishes, such as chestnut soup, pork roast with chestnuts, or turkey with chestnuts.
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