Preparing Holiday Roasted Chestnuts
Tips for Cooking and Peeling Popular New York City Streetside Snack
"Chestnuts, get your chestnuts. Just $1 a bag." These familiar sentences echo from the busy streets of New York City during the fall and winter season. Shoppers, tourists and locals alike savor the nutty aroma of roasted chestnuts as they traverse the city's sidewalks.
But this popular New York City streetside snack, now considered a comfort food by some, was actually a poor man's bread in 18th century France. When peasant farmers sold their grain crops to purchase salt and to give back a portion of their earnings to support their churches, they had very little everyday bread. As a result, they turned to chestnuts for protein and energy. Chestnuts could have been boiled, mashed or roasted, but they remained a staple food in those areas of the country where even the hardiest of cereal grains were unable to grow. Ironically, chestnuts were also coveted by the wealthy and were used to counteract the effects of an overly rich diet. The ancient Roman patricians would often eat chestnut soup when they visited their health spas, as chestnuts were believed to cleanse and purify the digestive system.
At one time, the United States grew a substantial number of chestnut trees. Unfortunately, that changed in 1904 when a chestnut blight wiped out most of the country's chestnut trees. Today, most of the chestnuts consumed in America are imported from Europe and Asia.
Chestnut Uses
Fresh chestnuts can be used to complement a variety of holiday foods. Serve them with roasted turkey around Thanksgiving, in bread stuffings or as a snack on their own.
Roasting Chestnuts
To roast fresh chestnuts, you'll need a chestnut roasting pan, which can be purchased from cooking supply stores and some retailers (see sources below). To roast chestnuts, first score the bottoms of the chestnuts with an "X" using a penknife. Next, place the chestnuts in the roasting pan over medium heat. Roast the chestnuts over the heat, shaking the chestnuts occasionally, until the chestnuts split open, about 10 to 12 minutes.
How to Peel Chestnuts
If you don't plan to roast chestnuts, there is a method for removing the shells and bitter skins from chestnuts. First, cut off a small strip of the shell and cook the chestnuts in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the water and peel them with a knife. If any chestnuts do not release from their shells, return them to the boiling water and repeat the cooking process.
SOURCES
Chestnut roasting pan
(APBS-CHES), $19.95
563 Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ 07068
973-287-6163 or 800-274-3435
Catalog $3 (refundable with purchase)
Chestnuts
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