It is not necessary to confuse different types of chestnuts - this is horse chestnut grown in Russian parks and real chestnut, also called edible or noble.
In Russia, with the exception of the Black Sea coast, edible chestnuts are not grown. Such chestnuts grow in Europe, Asia and North America. Of course, everyone can buy these unusual fruits in our country, but here their price often causes outrage.
The healing properties of chestnuts
There are many varieties of edible chestnuts. The "sweet chestnuts" are popular. These fruits, like nuts, are high in calories. But compared to hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, and almonds, chestnuts contain very little fat. These fruits are great for a vegetarian diet. They comprise 3% of useful minerals, about 2.5-3.5% of fiber, as well as vitamins A, B and C.
Chestnut seeds can contain up to 62% starch, up to 17% sugar and up to 6% protein. Especially a lot of vitamins are found in unripe fruits. Here, scientists found up to 1500 mg% vitamin C and up to 0.18 mg% vitamin B.
In folk medicine, the medicinal properties of both edible and horse chestnuts are often used. Many diseases can be cured by taking a specially prepared decoction from different parts of the chestnut. Healing are not only fruits, but also flowers, bark and leaves of the tree.
Edible chestnuts: how to cook healthy fruits at home
The most popular way to cook these fruits is with charcoal baking. This is the simplest and most effective way, suitable for everyone who, resting in the country, decided to offer chestnuts to his many guests.
How to cook great fruits at home? First, chestnuts can be baked in the oven. After you have removed the remaining dirt, simply cut off the tip of each fruit and put the chestnuts in the oven for about 15 minutes. Cutting off the tips of hard fruits is not easy, but if you do not, your chestnuts may explode.
Secondly, you can just fry the chestnuts in a skillet. How to fry chestnuts? As in the previous method, make a small incision, put the fruits on a hot frying pan and cook under the closed lid for about 20 minutes. Some chestnut lovers remove the frying pan from the stove after the first shot of these fruits. It is believed that the most delicious roasted chestnuts are those that are ready to explode.
Thirdly, you can cook chestnuts. How to cook boiled chestnuts? First you need to peel the fruit. To do this, chestnuts are thrown into boiling water for several minutes, and then all the peel, all membranes and films are removed. Peeled fruits are immersed in cold water and boiled until soft. Usually, the preparation of chestnuts ends 20 minutes after the water has boiled. Then it is recommended to drain the water and hold cooked fruits for 5 minutes in an empty pan under the lid.
Chestnuts are often added to other dishes. Many countries make sauces of these fruits. The simplest chestnut sauce is served with meat. Boiled chestnuts knead with a fork, turning into mashed potatoes. Add butter, nutmeg, cream and salt. This sauce is perfect for duck, chicken and rabbit.
You can make a delicious dessert sauce using boiled chestnuts. How to cook such an unusual seasoning for the main dish? Just boil the peeled fruits in sweetened milk, turn the chestnuts into mashed potatoes and serve.
Chestnuts provide every housewife with a huge scope for culinary creativity. In some countries, chestnut dessert is popular. Boiled fruits are mixed with sherry and brandy, whipped cream and Bizet are added, and watered with chocolate on top.
You can use chestnuts as a seasoning for your favorite dish. Let this small exquisite detail become the highlight of your entire kitchen, because in Russia chestnuts are rarely made.
But there is one serious obstacle: chestnuts dry quickly, they can not be stored. These fruits are sold on the market only in the fall, so there is only one small “chestnut” time in which you can enjoy the peculiarity of this unusual product.