Known for centuries as "the bread of the poor", chestnuts are a real source of beneficial substances and an excellent alternative for coeliacs, given that the chestnut, not being a cereal, is gluten-free. Chestnut flour is obtained from its pulp, the result of drying and grinding the chestnuts. The color varies from light to darker beige, with a sweet, sometimes more smoky flavour, which depends on the degree of roasting of the fruit. Very starchy and fragrant, it is mainly produced in mountain areas (from 450 to 900 metres), where the chestnut tree grows. But why bread for the poor? In the past it was a fundamental source of sustenance, thanks also to the high caloric concentration.
The chestnut has its origins thousands of years ago, thanks to the resistance of the chestnut tree to very low temperatures (down to -25°). Famous in ancient Rome, the chestnut had an intense growth in 1300 in Tuscany, a region marked by famine and plague, so much so that they led the population to move towards the hills.
However, the lack of industrialization of the sector, the high costs and particularly long cultivation times (the growth of the chestnut tree takes many years) have meant that this product has remained a niche product. The price varies from 2 to 4 euros per kilo wholesale, far higher when compared to the costs of a flour such as wheat (about 10 cents per kilo).
There are many variations of the chestnut. For example, it is often thought that chestnuts and browns they are the cue thing, but they are not. The former are the fruit of the wild tree and inside each hedgehog we find three, while the brown comes from cultivated trees and each hedgehog contains one, moreover it is larger than the chestnut, with a more intense aroma and a sweeter taste. Other varieties worth mentioning are the "Good chestnut", which is part of the IGP chestnuts of Mugello, and the IGP chestnuts of Val di Susa.
The chestnut harvest takes place mainly, In octoberwhen they fall from the plant. The chestnut forest was prepared for harvesting (in some places it still is), thanks to the cleaning of leaves and branches from the undergrowth to make the thistle (or hedgehog) and the chestnut clearly visible. The harvest is done manually, with the aid of sticks and rakes to beat the thistle in case the chestnuts have not come out of the husk. The fruits are collected in wicker baskets or jute bags.
The chestnuts are then taken to the "canniccio" (a kind of small stone hut), where a chestnut wood fire is always lit and the chestnuts are placed at a height of two meters to dry on a floor built with chestnut poles. After about 20-30 days the chestnuts are dried, at this point we move on to cleaning the shell to eliminate the residues by beating and sifting with smaller meshes than the dry chestnut.
Subsequently, we move on to roasting in special ovens. Finally, the chestnuts are ready for grinding in the mill, in the past they were water and stone millstones, currently they are almost all electric mills. We proceed with a further screening and the product is ready.
Chestnuts, like flour, are a precious source of nutritional properties. Poor in water (about 11%), chestnut flour is rich in carbohydrates (76%), clearly superior to other flours, for this reason it is not recommended for people who are overweight or suffer from diabetes.
Like other flours, chestnut flour contains fiber proteins and vitamins. Unlike the traditional ones, chestnut flour contains less protein (about 6%). As far as minerals are concerned, it depends on the soil where the chestnut grows, but generally they are: potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and chlorine. The vitamins are C, PP and those of group B.
Le beneficial properties of chestnuts are different. They have anti-inflammatory properties, help reduce cholesterol, are useful for rebalancing the intestinal tract, also have good antibacterial properties and are good allies against age-related degenerative diseases. Also, chestnuts contain large amounts of folic acid, which makes chestnuts particularly suitable during pregnancy to prevent malformations of the fetus. They also offer excellent benefits to the skin and hair, thanks to the active ingredients they contain. Especially indicated to slow down the appearance of white hair and for the treatment of oily skin.
With chestnut flour you can make pancakes, crêpes, the famous marron glacé but also bread, polenta and pasta. However, the sweetness of the chestnut must be balanced. For example, in Liguria they prepare the trofie of chestnut flour seasoned with basil pesto. There pattona of Lunigiana, on the other hand, is one of the most original recipes based on this flour: it is prepared by cooking the dough made of chestnut flour, water and salt in a wood oven, after which it is placed on a bed of chestnut leaves covered with the same.
I necci (or nicci) are typical of the Pistoia mountains of Lucca, high Versilia, Corsica and the Bolognese Apennines. They are cooked in stone or metal hoops and look like brown crêpes. Excellent with ricotta or with sausage or bacon.
Typical dessert in Garfagnana and surroundings is the castagnaccio, a cake of water, salt and chestnut flour to which pine nuts or walnuts, raisins, rosemary and orange peel are added. Another popular sweet, typical of Irpinia, are the sweet pancakes stuffed with Montella chestnuts, fried or baked and served with icing sugar.
