originThe chestnut is a plant of Mediterranean origin, growing between 300 and 1000 metres. Chestnuts differ from chestnuts not so much in size as in the quality of the flesh, which is fine-grained and very sweet-tasting.
In addition to being of great use, the chestnut is also a tree of beautiful appearance, and a carefully maintained chestnut grove, as in the Valle del Chiese, gives a beautiful appearance. In summer, it also provides pleasant coolness in the shade of its lush foliage.
cultivation
Valle del Chiese chestnuts are produced without the specific use of synthetic fertilisers and plant protection products, and are therefore a healthy and genuine, digestible product with a high nutritional and calorific value. Nutritionally, both fresh and dried marrons contain protein, lipids, carbohydrates and vitamins.
For the hill people, chestnuts were a staple food in the years of poverty and hardship. In the period of the 'economic miracle' their harvest was neglected, only in recent times has the ancient resource returned to honour, on the wave of the recovery of typical gastronomy and the rediscovery of ancient and inimitable flavours. The pleasures of the palate always pass through the specificity of products that can never be the same in different areas and also never the same in different vintages: let us therefore shun photocopied flavours.
in the kitchen
In addition to eating boiled chestnuts or roasted chestnuts, which please the palate and warm the hands in the cold months, chestnuts can be used in the kitchen for many preparations: from hors d'oeuvres, soup, tortelli, as a garnish for main courses (a typical Christmas dish: turkey stuffed with chestnuts), to various sweet preparations such as chestnut pudding, glazed chestnuts, ice cream, jam, etc.
Not to be forgotten is the chestnut flour, which for many years was used to make mountain bread, a foodstuff that has fed entire generations. The flour can also be used to make tasty pancakes, especially accompanied by honey. However you taste it, the important thing is that it is produced in the Valle del Chiese, in Trentino.
