 Home > The story of chestnuts > Features |
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The chestnut tree is a deciduous tree of the genus Castanea of the black oak family (Fagaceae). It grows in the sun, and may grow up to be 10-20 meters tall with a canopy of one meter. The chestnut tree has a dark brown trunk with small dark brown branches that first display a soft light gray fuzz. |
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Its light yellow flowers bloom and fall in May or June and its nuts ripen in September and October. The prickly chestnut bur that covers the nut bursts open when it ripens. There are usually two or three chestnuts in one bunch, and they are three to four centimeters long. The heavier they are and the glossier their skin is, the better they taste. |
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The most significant characteristic of the chestnut is that it is a food that has all five essential nutrients. However, as its main component is carbohydrates, it is high in calories. Therefore, eating too many chestnuts in one sitting is not recommended. The chestnut is rich in vitamin C, and makes a superb source of vitamins in the winter. Furthermore, it also contains iron and calcium, which makes it an ideal food. |
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Korean chestnuts are sweet and soft, and most of the, are exported to other countries. There are various kinds of chestnuts in Korea, and new hight-quality breeds are being developed through countinuous research efforts.
From ancient times, Korean people considered chestnuts as a wholesome food. They have developed a variety of methods to process and preserve chestnuts, and nowadays many cooking methods and scientifically-proven processing techniques are being used by people around the world. |
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