1- General information
Castanea sativa, the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world.
They are used for flour, bread making, as a cereal substitute, coffee substitute, a thickener in soups and other cookery uses, as well as for fattening pig stock. Italian and Corsican polenta (type of porridge) is made with sweet chestnut flour. A local variety of Corsican beer also uses sweet chestnuts.
Roasted chestnuts call to mind an image of snowy street scenes and Dickens’ novels. But this festive favourite has been a staple food in many countries for thousands of years.
The nuts originate from the area which is modern-day Turkey, and were an important source of nutrients in the mountainous regions around the Mediterranean Sea, where few cereal crops grew.
Early Christians believed the nut was a symbol of chastity, a religious association which may explain why it is eaten at Christmas time. The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) variety is native to southern Europe and is thought to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans. In fact, the practice of selling roasted chestnuts on the street is thought to have come from 16th century Rome.
Eaten raw, the nut has a bitter flavour, but roasting releases its sweetness, creating a rich, tasty, nutritional food ideally suited to the Christmas table.
2-sweet chestnut medicinal uses
Sweet chestnut leaves may be used to treat diarrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding and rheumatism, lower back pain, stiff joints and muscles, as well as occasionally coughs and bronchitis, and sore throats and pharyngitis (as a gargle), because of their mild decongestant qualities.
3-sweet chestnuts nutrition facts
- Amount per 100g
- Energy, 213 Kcal, 11 % of daily
- Carbohydrates, 45.54 g, 35% of daily
- Protein, 2.42 g, 4% of daily
- Total Fat, 2.26 g, 10% of daily
- Dietary Fiber, 8.1 g, 21% of daily
- Folates, 62 µg, 15.5% of daily
- Niacin, 1.179 mg, 7% of daily
- Pantothenic acid, 0.509 mg, 11% of daily
- Pyridoxine, 0.376 mg, 29% of daily
- Riboflavin, 0.168 mg, 13% of daily
- Thiamin, 0.238 mg, 20% of daily
- Vitamin A, 28 IU, 1% of daily
- Vitamin C, 43 mg, 72% of daily
- Sodium, 3 mg,
- Potassium. 518 mg, 11% of daily
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