Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Chestnut
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Uses== === Nutrition === {{nutritional value|name=Chestnuts (raw, peeled)|kJ=820|fat=1.3 g|protein=1.6 g | carbs=28 g|sugars=11 g|vitA_ug=1|vitC_mg=40.2|vitB6_mg=0.352|vitB12_ug=0|thiamin_mg=0.144|riboflavin_mg=0.016|niacin_mg=1.102|folate_ug=58|sodium_mg=2|potassium_mg=484 |calcium_mg=19|iron_mg=0.94|phosphorus_mg=38|magnesium_mg=30|zinc_mg=0.49|manganese_mg=0.34 |copper_mg=0.42|water=60.21 g|source_usda=1}} Chestnuts depart from the norm for [[Nut (fruit)|culinary nuts]], as they have little protein or fat; their calories come chiefly from carbohydrates. Fresh chestnut fruits provide about {{convert|820|kJ|kcal|abbr=on}} of [[food energy]] per 100 g of edible parts, which is much lower than [[walnut]]s, [[almond]]s, other nuts, and dried fruit (about {{convert|600|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=on|disp=or}} per 100 g).<ref name=mugello/><ref name=chestnutbrooknutrition>[http://www.chestnutbrook.com.au/chestnuts-nutritional-value.html ''Chestnut – Nutritional value''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719055212/http://chestnutbrook.com.au/chestnuts-nutritional-value.html |date=2008-07-19 }}. Information page by a small Australian grower in [[Balingup, Western Australia]].</ref><ref name=nzcouncil/> In some areas, sweet chestnut trees are called "bread trees".<ref name=mugello/><ref name=rockridgemarket>[http://rockridgemarkethall.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123&Itemid=107 ''The Chestnut – Fruit of the Bread Tree'']. Rockridge Market Hall.</ref> When chestnuts are just starting to [[Ripening|ripen]], the fruits are mostly starch and are firm under finger pressure from the high water content. As the chestnuts ripen, the starch is slowly converted into [[Sugar#Chemistry|sugars]], and moisture content decreases. Upon pressing the ripe chestnut, a slight "give" can be felt; the [[husk|hull]] is not so tense, and space occurs between the flesh of the fruit and it.<ref name=delmarvelous>[http://www.buychestnuts.com/trees.htm Delmarvelous nursery] (Chestnut Trees & Seed Nuts).</ref> Raw chestnuts are 60% water and contain 44 grams of [[carbohydrate]]s, 2 grams of [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], one gram of [[fat]], supplying 200 [[calorie]]s in a 100-gram reference amount (table). Chestnuts provide some [[B vitamins]] and [[dietary mineral]]s in significant content (table). Their carbohydrate content compares with that of wheat and rice.<ref name=valnet/> Chestnuts have twice as much [[starch]] as the potato on an as-is basis.<ref name=peggy/> They contain about 8% of various [[sugar]]s, mainly [[sucrose]], [[glucose]], [[fructose]], and in lesser amounts, [[stachyose]] and [[raffinose]], which are fermented in the lower gut, producing gas.<ref name=fao/> Chestnuts are among the few "nuts" that contain [[vitamin C]], with 48% of the [[Daily Value]] in a 100-gram serving (table). The amount of vitamin C decreases by roughly 40% upon heating (typically, the vitamin is decreased or destroyed in heated foods). Fresh chestnuts contain about 52% water by weight, which evaporates relatively quickly during storage. They can lose as much as 1% of weight in one day at 20 °C (68 °F) and 70% [[relative humidity]].<ref name="fao"/>[[Image:Kestaneci chestnut vendor.jpg|right|thumb|A ''kestaneci'' or chestnut vendor in [[Istanbul]]]] [[Image:Chestnuts roasted.jpg|right|thumb|Roasted chestnuts in [[Melbourne]], Australia]] ===Culinary=== [[File:Avignon marchand de marrons chauds à la Porte Saint-Michel Foire Saint-André.jpg|thumb|A hot chestnut seller in [[Avignon]], 1936]] [[File:Castagne secche dried chestnut italy.JPG|thumb|Dried chestnut in the South of Italy]]{{Cookbook}} The fruit can be peeled and eaten raw, but it can be somewhat [[astringent]], especially if the pellicle is not removed.<ref name=unifi>[http://www3.unifi.it/ueresgen29/ds7.htm ''Description of European Chestnut''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923175814/http://www1.unifi.it/ueresgen29/ds7.htm |date=2009-09-23 }}. By F. Ferrini and F. P. Nicese. Horticulture Department – University of Florence – Italy.</ref> Another method of eating the fruit involves roasting, which does not require peeling. Roasting requires scoring the fruit beforehand to prevent explosion of the fruit due to expansion. Once cooked, its texture is slightly similar to that of a baked potato, with a delicate, sweet, and nutty flavour.<ref name=chestnutbrook/><ref name=laren43/><ref name=cottage>[http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=97 Sweet Chestnut Jam recipe. Storing Sweet Chestnuts], in ''The Cottage Smallholder''.</ref> This method of preparation is popular in many countries, where the scored chestnuts may be cooked mixed with a little sugar. Chestnuts can be dried and milled into flour, which can then be used to prepare breads, [[cake]]s, [[Chestnut pie|pies]], [[pancake]]s, [[pasta]]s, [[polenta]]<ref name=grocer/> (known in Corsica as ''pulenda''), or used as thickener for [[stew]]s, [[soup]]s, and [[sauce]]s. [[Chestnut cake]] may be prepared using chestnut flour.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Richardson|first1=A.|last2=Young|first2=G.|title=The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4391-4256-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rb7BAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA134|pages=134–135}}</ref> In Corsica, the flour is fried into [[doughnut]]-like [[fritter]]s called ''[[fritelli]]'' and made into ''[[neccio|necci]], [[pattoni]], {{ill|castagnacci|it|castagnaccio}},'' and ''[[cialdi]]''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_7TPAAAAMAAJ&dq=fritelli+chestnut&pg=PA628 Volume 14] 1880 Scribners monthly page 628</ref> The flour can be light beige like that from Castagniccia, or darker in other regions.<ref name="terracorsa"/> It is a good solution for long storage of a nutritious food.<ref name=uniminnesota/> Chestnut bread can stay fresh as long as two weeks.<ref name=grocer/> The nuts can also be eaten candied, boiled, steamed, deep-fried, grilled, or roasted in sweet or savory recipes.<ref name=grocer/> They can be used to stuff vegetables, poultry, fowl, and other edibles.<ref name=botanical/> They are available fresh, dried, ground, or canned (whole or in puree). Candied chestnuts (whole chestnuts candied in sugar syrup, then iced<ref name=candied/>) are sold under the French name ''[[marrons glacés]]'' or Turkish name ''kestane şekeri'' ("sugared chestnuts"). They appeared in France in the sixteenth century. Toward the end of nineteenth century, [[Lyon]] went into a recession with the collapse of the textile market, [[History of silk#The silk industry in France|notably silk]]. Clément Faugier, a civil engineer, was looking for a way to revitalize the regional economy. In 1882 at [[Privas]], he invented the technology to make ''marrons glacés'' on an industrial scale (although a great number of the more than 20 necessary steps from harvest to the finished product are still accomplished manually).<ref name=botanical/> Chestnuts are picked in autumn, and candied from the start of the following summer for the ensuing Christmas. Thus, the ''marrons glacés'' eaten at Christmas are those picked the year before.<ref name=promo>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090126182449/http://www.prochedevous-enligne.com/index.cgi?numero=110&type=article&pageid=846&archives=1 "C'est le mois – Les marrons glacés synonymes de fêtes de fin d'année"]. By Marie-Françoise Briand. Article in review n° 110. In French.</ref> [[File:Castanyera.png|thumb|An [[Auca (cartoon)|auca]] of the 19th century with the image of Catalan ''Castanyera'', the traditional seller of chestnuts.]] In [[Spain]], on 31 October on the eve of the [[All Saints' Day]], [[Catalonia]] celebrates ''la [[castanyada]]'', a festivity that consists of eating chestnuts, [[panellets]], [[sweet potatoes]] and [[Muscat (grape)|muscatell]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-11-04|title=La castanyera, les castanyes i els panellets|url=https://www.calamariabarcelona.com/en/la-castanyera-les-castanyes-i-els-panellets/|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Ca la Maria a Boutique Bed & Breakfast|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Catalan tradition of La Castanyada|url=https://www.speakeasybcn.com/en/blog/the-catalan-tradition-of-la-castanyada|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Speakeasy|language=en}}</ref> On November, in the regions of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], [[Asturias]], [[Cantabria]] and other Northern provinces and [[Portugal]], the ''[[Magosto]]'' is celebrated.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Magosto: A Spanish Celebration of Fall (& Chestnuts)|url=https://simplespanishfood.typepad.com/simple-spanish-food/2011/10/magosto-a-spanish-celebration-of-fall-chestnuts-.html|access-date=2020-10-21|website=Simple Spanish Food|archive-date=2020-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104194406/https://simplespanishfood.typepad.com/simple-spanish-food/2011/10/magosto-a-spanish-celebration-of-fall-chestnuts-.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[Hungarian cuisine]], cooked chestnuts are [[purée]]d, mixed with sugar (and usually [[rum]]), forced through a [[Potato ricer|ricer]], and topped with [[whipped cream]] to make a dessert called ''gesztenyepüré'' (chestnut purée).<ref>[http://www.chew.hu/gesztenyepure/ Gesztenyepüré] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112143915/http://www.chew.hu/gesztenyepure/ |date=January 12, 2014 }} at Chew.hu</ref> In [[Swiss cuisine]], a similar dish made with [[kirsch]] and [[butter]] is called ''vermicelles''. A [[French cuisine|French]] version is known as "[[Mont Blanc (dessert)|Mont Blanc]]". A fine granular sugar can be obtained from the fermentation of the juice,<ref name=grocer/><ref name=facciola>Facciola, S. ''Cornucopia – A Source Book of Edible Plants''. Kampong Publications, 1990. {{ISBN|0-9628087-0-9}}. Cited in ''Plants for a Future''.</ref> as well as a beer; the roasted fruit provides a coffee substitute.<ref name="facciola"/> [[Antoine-Augustin Parmentier|Parmentier]], who among other things was a famous potato promoter, extracted [[sugar]] from chestnuts and sent a chestnut [[sugarloaf]] weighing several pounds to the [[University of Lyon|Academy of Lyon]].<ref name=parmentier>Antoine Parmentier. ''Traité de la châtaigne''. 1780. Bastia, Corsica. Cited in ''The Cambridge World History of Food'' – Chestnuts, edited by Kenneth F. Kipple and Kriemhild Connee Ornelas.</ref> The [[Continental System|continental blockade]] following shortly after (1806–1814) increased the research into developing chestnuts as a source of sugar, but Napoleon chose [[beet]]s instead.<ref name=kipple>[http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/chestnuts.htm ''The Cambridge World History of Food'' – Chestnuts]. Edited by Kenneth F. Kipple and Kriemhild Connee Ornelas.</ref> Sweet chestnuts are not easy to peel when cold. One kilogram of untainted chestnuts yields about 700 g of shelled chestnuts.<ref name=laren43/> ===Animal fodder and litter=== Chestnuts are often added to animal [[fodder]]. A first soak in [[limewater]] removes their bitter flavour, then they are ground and mixed with the ordinary provender. Other methods of preparation are also used. It is given to horses and cattle in the Orient,<ref name=botanical/> and to pigs in England,<ref name=botanical/> France<ref name=valnet/> and other places. The leaves are not as prone to be insect-eaten as those of the oak, and are also used for fodder.<ref name=botanical/> ===Timber=== [[Image:Edelkastanie.jpg|thumb|Chestnut wood: Note the splitting at the top of the log.]] Chestnut is of the same family as oak, and likewise its wood contains many tannins.<ref name=peggy/> This renders the wood very durable,<ref name=peggy/> gives it excellent natural outdoor resistance,<ref name=peggy/><ref name=calu>[http://www.calu.bangor.ac.uk/Technical%20leaflets/050401Chestnuts.pdf Sweet Chestnut production] in Farm Woodlands – CALU Technical Note ref: 050401. July 2006.</ref> and saves the need for other protection treatment. It also corrodes iron slowly, although copper, brass, or stainless metals are not affected.<ref name=calu/> Chestnut timber is decorative. Light brown in color, it is sometimes confused with oak wood.<ref name=calu/> The two woods' textures are similar.<ref name=peggy/> When in a growing stage, with very little sap wood, a chestnut tree contains more timber of a durable quality than an oak of the same dimensions. Young chestnut wood has proved more durable than oak for woodwork that has to be partly in the ground, such as stakes and fences.<ref name=botanical/> After most growth is achieved, older chestnut timber tends to split and warp when harvested. The timber becomes neither so hard nor so strong as oak.<ref name=botanical/><ref name=peggy/><ref name=calu/> The American chestnut ''C. dentata'' served as an important source of lumber, because it has long, unbranched trunks.<ref name=answers/> In Britain, chestnut was formerly used indiscriminately with oak for the construction of houses, [[Millwork (building material)|millwork]], and household furniture.<ref name=botanical/> It grows so freely in Britain that it was long considered a truly native species, partly because the roof of [[Westminster Hall#Westminster Hall|Westminster Hall]] and the [[Parliament House, Edinburgh|Parliament House of Edinburgh]] were mistakenly thought to be constructed of chestnut wood. Chestnut wood, however, loses much of its durability when the tree is more than 50 years old, and despite the local chestnut's quick growth rate, the [[timber]] used for these two buildings is considerably larger than a 50-year-old chestnut's [[:wikt:girth|girth]]. It has been proven that the roofs of these buildings are made of [[Sessile Oak|Durmast oak]], which closely resembles chestnut in [[Wood grain|grain]] and color.<ref name=botanical/> It is therefore uncommon to find large pieces of chestnut in building structures, but it has always been highly valued for small outdoor furniture pieces, fencing, [[Cladding (construction)|cladding]] ([[Roof shingle|shingles]]) for covering buildings,<ref name=calu/> and pit-props,<ref name=botanical/> for which durability is an important factor. In Italy, chestnut is also used to make [[barrel]]s used for aging [[balsamic vinegar]] and some alcoholic beverages, such as [[whisky]] or [[lambic beer]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lambic and the spontaneous fermentation|url=http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_11|website=Cantillon.be|publisher=Cantillon|access-date=2 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106200618/http://www.cantillon.be/br/3_11|archive-date=6 November 2014}}</ref> Of note, the famous 18th-century "berles" in the French [[Cévennes]] are cupboards cut directly from the hollowed [[trunk (botany)|trunk]].<ref name=joyeuse>[https://archive.today/20130131072809/http://www.pays-beaumedrobie.com/fr/musee-chataign/uk-accueil-chataigne.php Chestnut museum in the Beaumedrobie country – France]</ref> ===Fuel=== Dry, chestnut firewood is best burned in a closed log-burner, because of its tendency to spit when on an open fire.<ref name=calu/> ===Leather=== Chestnut wood is a useful source of natural tannin and was used for tanning leather before the introduction of synthetic tannins.<ref name=edlin/> On a 10% [[moisture basis]], the bark contains 6.8% tannin and the wood 13.4%.<ref name=Rottsieper>Rottsieper, E. H. W. ''Vegetable Tannins''. The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Co. Ltd. 1946. Cited in ''Plants for a Future''.</ref> The bark imparts a dark color to the tannin, and has a higher sugar content, which increases the percentage of soluble non-tans, or impurities, in the extract; so it was not employed in this use.<ref name=palimpsest>[http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/don/dt/dt0668.html Chestnut] in Search Conservation OnLine.</ref> Chestnut tannin is obtained by hot-water extraction of chipped wood. It is an ellagic tannin and its main constituents are identified by [[castalagin]] (14.2%) and vescalagin (16.2%).<ref name=hydrolyzable>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/app.30377|volume=113|issue=6|title=Polymer structure of commercial hydrolyzable tannins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry|year=2009|journal=Journal of Applied Polymer Science|pages=3847–3859|last1=Pizzi|first1=A.}}</ref><ref name=ellagitannins>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/app.10618|volume=85|issue=2|title=Considerations on the macromolecular structure of chestnut ellagitannins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry|year=2002|journal=Journal of Applied Polymer Science|pages=429–437|last1=Pasch|first1=H.}}</ref><br>It has a naturally low pH value, relatively low salts content, and high acids content. This determines its astringency and its capability to fix raw hides. These properties make chestnut extract especially suitable for the tanning of heavy hides and to produce leather soles for high-quality shoes in particular. It is possible to obtain a leather with high yield in weight, which is compact, firm, flexible, and waterproof. Chestnut-tanned leathers are elastic, lightfast, resistant to traction and abrasion, and have warm color.<ref name=Wilson >Wilson, J. A. (1929)''The chemistry of leather manufacture.'' . American Chemical Society, Vol. I and II, second edition.</ref><ref name=McLaughlin >McLaughlin, G. D. and E. R. Theis (1945). ''The chemistry of leather manufacture''. American Chemical Society.</ref> Chestnut tannin is one of the pyrogallol class of tannins (also known as [[hydrolysable tannin]]). As it tends to give a brownish tone to the [[leather]], it is most often used in combination with [[Quebracho tannin|quebracho]], [[mimosa]], [[Caesalpinia spinosa|tara]], myrabolans, and [[Valonia oak|valonia]].<ref name=palimpsest/> <br> The wood seems to reach its highest tannin content after the trees reach 30 years old. The southern European chestnut wood usually contains at least 10 to 13% more tannin than chestnut trees in northern climates. ===Other uses=== Fabric can be starched with chestnut [[flour|meal]].<ref name=botanical/> Linen cloth can be whitened with chestnut meal.<ref name=botanical/> The leaves and the skins (husk and pellicle) of the fruits provide a hair shampoo.<ref name=valnet/><ref name=chiej>MacDonald, R. Chiej. ''Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants''. 1984. {{ISBN|0-356-10541-5}}. Cited in ''Plants for a Future''.</ref> Hydrolysable chestnut tannins can be used for partial phenol substitution in [[Phenol formaldehyde resin|phenolic resin]] adhesives production<ref name=Spina >{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/01694243.2012.697673|volume=27|issue=18–19|title=Phenolic resin adhesives based on chestnut (Castanea sativa) hydrolysable tannins|year=2013|journal=Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology|pages=2103–2111|last1=Spina|first1=S.|s2cid=96086981}}</ref> and also for direct use as resin.<ref name="Peña">Peña, C.; De La Caba, K.; Retegi, A.; Ocando, C.; Labidi J. and J. M. Echeverria. [http://www.sc.ehu.es/iawcacik/Ikerkuntza/publicaciones/2009JThermAnalCal.pdf "Mimosa and chestnut tannin extracts reacted with hexamine in solution".] Mondragon. ''Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry'', Volume 96, issue 2 (May 2009), pp. 515–521.</ref> Chestnut buds have been listed as one of the 38 substances used to prepare [[Bach flower remedies]],<ref name="Vohra2004">{{cite book|author=Vohra, D. S. |title=Bach Flower Remedies: A Comprehensive Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icG8onA0ys8C&pg=PR3|access-date=2 September 2013|date=1 June 2004|publisher=B. Jain Publishers|isbn=978-81-7021-271-3|page=3}}</ref> a kind of [[alternative medicine]] promoted for its effect on health. However, according to [[Cancer Research UK]], "there is no scientific evidence to prove that flower remedies can control, cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/complementary-alternative/therapies/flower-remedies |title=Flower remedies |publisher=[[Cancer Research UK]] |date=September 2013 }}</ref>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)