Inspirational Chestnut Madness !!!

The time has come to find all the facts you may ever need around the existence of the most radical of nuts... the chestnut!

Did you know…chestnuts have been cultivated for over 4000 years

They are encased in two sets of shells. The outer shell is spiky and prickly, which holds the chestnut whilst it is still on the tree. The second shell is the one we see when we buy our chestnuts which is smooth and shiny.

To get chestnuts in a good enough condition to eat you must pick up the chestnuts up off the ground within two days of them falling off the tree! We’ve got to be quick!

Fun fact… chestnuts replace cereals as a source of carbs in turkey, parts of Europe and Asia

Traditionally, chestnuts have been known as the food of the poor in Japan, Italy and France

These are the only nuts that contain vitamin C!

China produces the most chestnuts in the world, the Turkish are the second largest but produce less than half the amount that China produces

The US produces just 1% of the world’s supply and Sicilian chestnuts are the most highly prized…

The oldest chestnut tree is between 2000-4000 years old, it is 190ft in circumference and is located in Mount Etna in Sicily

The size of a chestnut depends on the species. They can grow in the form of bush or tree.

Chestnut trees produce more fruit when they are subjected to lower temperatures during the winter. Unlike old trees, young trees are highly sensitive to frost.

There are a wide range of uses for Chestnuts, the leaves and the husk are used for the production of shampoos, they also contain a high amount of tannins and it is used for tanning of leather!!

It is estimated that between 3 and 4 billion American chestnut trees were destroyed in the first half of the 20th century by blight, wow!