I just had my first chestnut ever!

Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

I got one (yes, just one) chestnut from the grocery store tonight when I went to pick up some spinach. All those holidays singing about em roasting over an open fire and I never had one.

It’s REALLY GOOD! I just peeled it and nibbled at it. It’s tender and sweet and juicy (odd for a nut!). How good are these lil buggers for you? I know they’re lower calorie than most other nuts. Any special health benefits or ideas as to what to do with them?

I’ll have to check the recipes. I bet it would be great for nutmilks or anything creamy…holiday nutnog perhaps? :)

Comments

  • ungratefulungrateful Raw Newbie

    I found a chestnut in Oregon last time i was up there. my bf’s son was throwing the spiky thing at me, the little cutie and I took it from him, got the nut out and gave him back the spiky thing to throw at me some more, the darling. :) just kidding.

    But i put the nut in my purse and found it when i got back to SF. I put it on my shelf there and there it is. I will peel it and eat it some day I suppose.

    I have had them roasted. We would gather them from the yard and roast them over the fire in the woodstove but never ate them raw yet.

    Maybe I will take it for lunch tomorrow and get a rest from sunflower seeds, lol.

  • Hi Branwyn & Ungrateful,

    Check out the following link. It says not to eat raw chestnuts due to the tannic acid and that is why people cook them first.

    http://homecooking.about.com/od/nuts/a/rawchest…

    Here’s a link that tells all about tannic acid. :o) You may not want to eat too many.

    http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/t…

  • Branwyn32Branwyn32 Raw Newbie

    Thanks for the info! Good thing I didn’t eat a bowlful eh? I actually took the 2nd half of the nut and roasted it in the oven, just out of curiosity. It did get a little sweeter, but the starchiness was also more pronounced, which I didn’t like. And the weirdest part…the center of the nut was rather soft, and tasted like something I vaguely remembered but couldn’t put my finger on for a minute…then it came to me. Hard boiled eggs! The yolks mostly. Totally bizarre!

    So I guess anyone that’s gone vegan but not 100% raw…if you really want to make something that tasted like hardboiled eggs….use freshly roasted chestnut centers.

    I’m a lil disappointed that they’re not good for you raw though. I actually liked the taste of it raw better! I wonder though if they could occasionally be used medicinally in small quantities. (see 2nd link for what tannic acid can be used to treat)

  • dont know if this is much help, but i remember a while ago coming across a website where a raw-fooder said chestnuts were fine raw and chestnut flour was like a raw-fooders “bread”; so there might be some hope. I think it MIGHT have been rawfromthefarm but i dont really remember. personally, i tried them raw when i was in rome and ended up pitching them; couldnt find a way to make them palatable.

  • it's my understanding that only the skins contain tannic acid. They have tremendous health benefits! Taken form http://www.HealingFoodReference.com/chestnuts.html:

    Chestnuts may help with*:

    Bleeding (9)

    Dyspepsia (12)

    Whooping cough (9)

    Rheumatoid arthritis (9)

    Anemia (12)

    Diarrhea (9)

    Supports organs and systems*:

    Tendons (9)

    Spleen-pancreas (9)

    Liver (9)

    Kidneys (9)

    Digestive system (12)

    Nutrients found in Chestnuts*:

    Molybdenum (8)

    Manganese (8)

    Copper (8)

    Vitamin B2 (8)

    Vitamin B6 (8)

    Vitamin B1 (8)

    Folic acid (8)

    Magnesium (8,12)

    Vitamin C (8,12)

    Zinc (12)

    Potassium (12)

    Iron (12)

    Notes about Chestnuts*:

    Chestnut is the only member of the nut family that contains vitamin C. (8)

Sign In or Register to comment.