A Time For Chestnuts

Today is All Saint's Day and tomorrow is All Soul's Day, two days of memorial in the Christian calendar. It surprisingly  is a food day  as well, with hot, roasted  chestnuts commemorating souls.Yet November is the time to usher in the chestnut season as well. It's a nutritious nut, with a lot of versatility to it.

Chestnuts have been around since BCE, growing mostly in Southern France , Italy, Spain ,Portugal and some parts of Greece. The ancient Greeks even won a battle by just storing up on them. Originally the ground chestnuts were used as a kind of cereal by ancient Romans and Greeks and its' ground flour was used in a variety of cakes and breads.it was also grown in the Orient, mostly in China, being employed more as a savory ingredient. It's a good source of Vitamin C and thiamin .Chestnuts are  mostly carbohydrates and has always been a great addition to any diet. The flavor is mild , perfect on it's own but also good candied..


For All Saint's and All Soul's Day, you can  roast chestnuts which is a very easy process. Slit the top with a cross so they don't burst. This allows steam to escape too. Roast over a low flame for about twenty minutes and then eat hot. The result is a delicious sweetmeat  with a hearty center and a light sweet, smoky taste. They're also good  as the classic dessert marron glacee. This is boiled chestnuts soaked in a simple vanilla syrup for a good half a day, .then baked in a low oven for forty five minutes.Chestnuts can also be pureed and mixed with sweet cream for an interesting tart or pie filling.


Commemorate All Saint's and All Soul's Days with roasted chestnuts. They are a traditional and tasty, redolent of smokiness and sweetness.They're a perfect fall dish for the season.