The healthy chestnuts, gift of the tono, constitute a delicious source of energy in the first days of cold, as they are rich in carbohydrates (41%).
- Properties of chestnuts
- How to make chestnuts in the form of a mash
- Cooked chestnuts
- To better digest chestnuts…
The last days of September announce the arrival in the markets of one of the stars of autumn gastronomy: chestnuts.
For a few months, and especially around All Saints’ Day, it will become the occasional whim of many, though as tasty and very nutritious food that temporary attention seems little.
In other times, in a fairer way, its many properties led to it being known as “the bread of the poor” and constituted a mainstay of peasant food.
Rich in slow-absorbing carbohydrates (41%), which provide energy in a prolonged and gradual way, the chestnut also stands out for its mineral content (it is rich in potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus) and vitamins: 100 grams provide a quarter of the recommended daily amounts of vitamins B1, B6 and E, and almost half of the vitamin C needed per day, although a part is lost when they are cooked.
PROPERTIES OF CHESTNUTS
The chestnut is often considered a nut but is closer to cereals because of its starch richness and fat poverty (2%).
In fact, it is so rich in starch that in times of scarcity some peasant villages have come to make bread with their flour. It rises little and is less digestive than that of cereals but in Corsica it came to replace that of wheat.
On this island, chestnuts are still present in a variety of recipes, whether boiled or pureed or served with other appetizers.
Here we usually eat them simply roasted in a pan, but it is worth exploring other culinary possibilities.
HOW TO MAKE CHESTNUTS IN THE FORM OF A MASH
- To prepare a puree, boil the chestnuts for about five minutes, with a small incision on top to prevent them from bursting in the heat.
- Drain and, even hot, peel them easily.
- Boil again in water with fennel seeds for half an hour until softened.
- Drain, go through the purée and add almond milk until you get a homogeneous cream.
COOKED CHESTNUTS
They can also be tasted boiled and accompanied by mushrooms or leeks.
Of all the possible preparations with chestnuts there is also an exquisite one that allows it to escape its image of food for the poor: marron glacé, a chestnut wrapped in a sugar film that gives it a shiny varnish.
TO BETTER DIGEST CHESTNUTS…
It is advisable to chew the chestnuts slowly not only to better appreciate their flavor but also so that their starch is well swarmed and predigested so that it can be assimilated without difficulty.
Roasting or cooking chestnuts also facilitates the work of the stomach, which prefers them instead of raw.
