Have you ever heard a classic Christmas carol related to roast chestnut that states “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”
The lyric composed by Nat King Cole isn’t only factual, but it becomes a great holiday menu for a fantastic treat on the table.
It doesn’t only spread the delicious aroma but also as tasty as it smells like.
The chestnut is a staple menu and becomes the main part of a charismas menu to put us in the festive mood together. What’s interesting is the chestnut is perfect to be served in either sweet or savory dishes flavor.
This delicious snack is the perfect one for any entertainment ideas during the holiday season.
If you are becoming the host of a holiday party, it’s the best time to give a roasted chestnut a try.
Start to get fresh chestnuts around late October to mid – November and store it until December to new year’s eve.
Prepare your party by moving your grill to the front or back yard to roast the chestnut for you and your closest ones.
Chests are best to be roasted and can be found in any grocery store and farmer’s markets.
They are usually harvested in North America then distributed to cover the whole of America.
Which tools do you need to Roast Chestnuts?
There are two ways to roast chestnuts.
If you put it in the oven, you might need a cast iron pan.
Meanwhile, if you choose to roast it on the fire, it is recommended to use some tools to make your roasting experience easier and more fun.
- Cast Iron pan: A cast iron pan is the perfect cooking pan that handles the heat very well
- Sharp knife: Scoring the nuts is a satisfying part after roasting them. Use a sharp knife to make your work easier and faster
- Grill or open fire: Like what it’s called ‘roast chestnut’. Use grill or an open fire to roast big amount of chestnut and make your holiday night while roasting chestnuts with you family or friends become more fun
- High heat resistant gloves: Roasting the chestnuts for a long period of time make you feel the burn. It is suggested to wear high heat welding gloves which help you to protect your hands from the burning when the heat reaches several hundred degrees.
The best way to Roast chestnuts
Although it looks hard as hell, chestnuts are actually soft nuts that are covered in a hard shell.
When you cook them you will see that they have quite a big amount of steams and moisture.
However, it may explode when you cook them.
To avoid this, the best way on how to roast chestnuts is by using an open fire.
Or follow the steps below to prevent your chestnuts to explode while roasting them.
- Prepare your open fire or grill by putting enough charcoal on it. So your cast iron pan can sit properly on top of them.
- Score your chestnuts.
- After you put the cast iron pan on to the charcoal fire, lay your chestnuts down until it covers the surface of the pan. The scored side of chestnuts must be facing up to make the shell to retain all of the heat.
- heat it up until the X on the chestnuts appears perfectly.
- Stir well your chestnuts after letting it heat up for 5 minutes.
- Stir occasionally for 7 minutes.
- Take the pan out and cool your chestnuts down. Remove the chestnuts from their hard shell after it cools down.
- Serve them with a sprinkle of salts and enjoy.
The Chestnuts Benefits Health
Chestnuts are a delicious and vegan-friendly must-have meal during Christmas or New Year’s eve.
They are not only tasty they also very healthy!
Here are some health benefits of chestnuts such as:
- Boost your energy level.
- Prevent and cure constipation.
- Improve digestion.
- Strengthen the nervous system.
- Improve your brain function.
- Strengthen your bones.
- Normalize your blood sugar level.
- Combating any free radicals that will damage the cells in your body.
- Prevent and fight cancer cells.
- Support your heart health.
- Lower down your cholesterol level.
- Boost your immune system.
- Improve your skin health.
- Other chestnut benefits for hair including fixing hair loss problems including hair growth and maintain its health.
- Helping you to lose weight.
- Glowing up your complexion.
The Nutrition Facts of Chestnuts
Roasted chestnut is the perfect snack that you can enjoy with the family.
It has low calories compared to other nuts and snacks.
It also packed with rich nutrients.
Here is the list of nutrients in the chestnuts:
- Source of amino acids
- Monounsaturated fatty acids
- Phenols
- Antioxidants
- High in vitamin C vitamin E
- High in vitamin B complex
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Source of fiver
- Gluten-free
- Copper
- Manganese
Nutrients value for roasted chestnuts per serving
- Calories: 88
- Carbs: 19gr
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 1mg
- Protein: 1gr
- Fats: 1gr
- Fiber: 2gr
- Sugar: 4gr
Those are the estimation when you have one serving of roasted chestnuts.
However, if you feel a little adventurous, try to eat raw chestnuts are safe too.
But remember that raw chestnuts contain tannic acid which will cause nausea, damaging the liver if you suffer from liver diseases or facing kidney problems or any stomach irritations for some people.
Hence, having roasted chestnuts is better.
Chestnut Allergy
There are some researches to analyze the significance of chestnuts as a food allergen.
The researches have been proposed as allergic reactions for some people to tree nuts can be severe or even life-threatening condition.
Hence the chestnut has also become a concern for some people with tree nut allergies.
Research had shown that some patients did have chestnut allergies.
They experience severe anaphylactic episodes on their ingestions.
Chestnuts for Pregnant Women and Babies
Unexpectedly, chestnut is extremely good for women during their pregnancy.
It is packed with nutrients that help to support the immune systems of expecting women.
It also contains folic acid which is an essential nutrient to prevent birth defects for expecting newborn babies.
However, can they consume chestnuts too like their mother?
Chestnuts are very healthy but they are difficult to digest, the infant or early year of babies shouldn’t be fed with chestnut. Wait until your babies are two years or more to introduce them to chestnuts.
Conclusion
Including chestnut in daily diet intake will be good for overall health as it presents rich nutrients that give health benefits to our body.
This is also whole food and is plant-based, what’s more, can we ask for?
Do you enjoy roasted chestnut to celebrate the holiday with your family and closest friends?
Share your most memorable moment at that time and how you enjoy the taste of roasted chestnuts in the comment column below!
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