Etkinlik

Chestnuts, low in fat and high in vitamin C, are more similar to fruits than true nuts. They have a spiny husk and a dark brown shell, both of which must be removed before eating. Chestnuts have been a food source for thousands of years. They can be eaten raw, roasted, ground into flour, or mixed into pastries. They grow on trees in the genus Castanea, and many species in this group can live for an impressive 500 years or more.

There are four main species of chestnut trees: the Chinese chestnut, the Japanese chestnut, the European chestnut, and the American chestnut. The trees are native to many places around the world, but once had a much smaller growing area before people began to transplant them.

The American chestnut tree was once common across the eastern United States, but it was nearly wiped out by a fungal infestation in the early 1900s. The European chestnut, Castanea sativa, is the most common and provides the majority of chestnuts sold in grocery stores today.