Well it’s chestnut time in Tuscany. Called “castagne” in Italian and used for various foods like pancakes, honey, polenta, pasta, and a famous dessert called “castagnaccio”.
A few years ago the kid and I gathered these heroic nuts and learned all about how the chestnuts are slow roasted in a metata, then taken to the mill to be turned into flour. See below for more information and pictures on this amazing tradition. This flour is used for breads, cakes, desserts, etc. The Tuscans survived on this rustic flour hundreds of years ago when the winters were rough and long and cold. Today-the small medieval hilltop towns in our area still practice the method of gathering, peeling, smoking, milling….The smoking huts remind me of my grandfather smoking tobacco years ago on the farm in Tennessee-the actual size of the fire was small and took patience and talent to know just the right size it should be to slowly smoke.
As we walked the trails we hoped we wouldn’t come across another popular food this time of year who enjoy the chestnut…the wild boar “cinghiale”. You can find sauces, soups and more made from this pre-historic looking animal over Tuscany in the Fall and Winter.
October is the month for Festivals celebrating these nuts. I will be attending one next week with my friend/guide Heather from Sapori-e-Saperi. I always look forward to spending time with her and learning about how the Italians use what God gave them. The local villagers are saying the harvest was not very good this year so many huts will no even be lighting up the fires. I hope to taste some interesting foods this time and bring home a recipe to try out.
The only experience most of us here in the States have of chestnuts is eating them during the holidays-marking an “x” on them so they do not explode in the oven or in the fireplace. I read recently that a “t” (cross shape ) should be used rather than an “x” -I’m still researching the Christian significance to that advice but it sounds good to me!
Harvest time in Tuscany is filled with celebrations of all kinds-grape, olives, mushrooms and …chestnuts! I love they way they make up any reason to celebrate!
Bringing bags of chestnuts to the drying hut.
Loading the bags into the top level of the drying hut.
Using the peelings from last years nuts to use to stoke the fire -Italians are the ultimate recycling community!
Turning the chestnuts with a large paddle every few days…now that is a lot of nuts!
The Lower level of the hut where he tends to the fire. A very nice place-lovely in the middle of the woods. I would like to eat a nice lunch there…
A cat was making himself at home in the warm hut-if you look closely you can see how tiny the actual fire is…
Using hot tiles and tree leaves-these women were making :necci”-chestnut pancakes.
Here is one that a wild boar or no one else found…
