Suggested uses

Basic prep

Storage & handling

Store in a dry, cool place.

Ingredients

Chestnuts. Contains tree nuts.

Chestnuts (Castanea sativa) are the seed of a deciduous tree, growing two or three in a single, burr-covered husk. Chestnuts are among the largest nuts eaten by people, with edible kernels that are much larger than other tree nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts.

Once picked from the husk chestnuts can be boiled, steamed, roasted or deep fried and eaten. Chestnuts are also easily dried to preserve them for later. Dried chestnuts can be boiled to rehydrate or ground into a powder and used as a flour or flour substitute.

Species of chestnut tree have been traced back to at least three continents: Africa, Europe and North America, although most of the chestnuts commercially cultivated today are varieties which originated in Mediterranean Europe. Evidence suggests that many prehistoric cultures relied on chestnuts as a food source, often treating them more like starchy vegetables such as potatoes or even a starchy grain like rice.

Chestnuts are low in protein and fat but high in carbohydrates especially when compared to other tree nuts. In addition to their high carbohydrate content, chestnuts also provide vitamins B6, C and E, along with calcium and potassium.

Classic preparations of chestnuts vary by culture but include Japanese kurigohan (steamed chestnut rice) and Korean yaksik (a sweet dish made from glutinous rice cooked with chestnuts, jujube fruits and pine nutes). Perhaps the most familiar to Americans is the use of chestnuts in dressing to celebrate Thanksgiving, or roast fresh chestnuts or glazed chestnuts (marrons glace) in the European tradition.

Raw Chestnut Powder is a smooth-textured, white to light tan nut flour made from raw chestnuts ground without their bitter skins. A versatile ingredient, Raw Chestnut Powder can be used in a variety of recipes, as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour. It has an earthy, sweet flavor, and is lower in protein and fat than most other nuts and higher in carbohydrates, making it particularly well suited to milling. Chestnut Powder can be used in dishes ranging from pasta dough and breads to pastries, cookies, crepes and pie crusts. Since Chestnut Powder contains no gluten, many cooks mix it with a gluten-containing flour when baking breads and making pasta, techniques in which developing gluten is key to success.