Chestnuts

Chestnuts are a very precious fruit, both for the beauty of the trees which belong to the fagaceae family and are very widespread in southern Europe and in particular in Italy, and for their properties and quality. Inside a large and resistant brown peel, there is a pulp that has extraordinary energetic and nutritional characteristics.

Production takes place mainly in mountain areas from 450 to 900 metres, where the domestic chestnut plant grows and where over time the structures authorized for its production have been established. In the past it was an important source of subsistence, for many mountainous areas characterized by the so-called "Chestnut civilisation", given the high caloric content which made it the main source of sustenance.

The harvest takes place in the month of October, when they fall from the plant and the harvest takes place mainly by hand.

The drying takes place in the caniciccio, or metato, a sort of small house, where a fire of chestnut wood is always lit at ground level and the chestnuts are placed about 2 meters above the ground to dry on a surface built from poles, also made of chestnut. In this way, with the heat of the fire below, the chestnuts dry in about 20 days. Once the drying is finished, the shell is cleaned by beating and sieving the dried chestnut with smaller mesh, in order to eliminate residues. After this procedure, in some cases the toasting takes place in special ovens. At this point the chestnuts are ready for grinding in the mill followed by further screening and the product is ready for use and trade

Chestnut flour, also called sweet flour, has a straw color with a sweet flavour.