Winter Has Come, Chestnut Season Has Been Opened
Chestnut, whose Latin name is "castanea sativa", is a special nut that grows almost everywhere in the northern hemisphere. It grows mostly in China, Japan, Europe, and North America and is easily recognized by its smooth, glossy, dark brown outer bark. An ideal chestnut is 3.50 – 4.00 cm in diameter and 8 – 12 gr. weight is assumed. Chestnut, which is also a popular nut in our country, is frequently consumed especially in the winter months. In fact, the image of “chestnuts roasting on the stove” is almost identified with the winter season. So, what are the benefits of this delicious nut? Let's take a look together.
- Every 100 gr. in chestnuts, 8 gr. It has fiber. This is an extremely high value, for example, for walnuts, this ratio is only 100 / 2.1 grams. Due to its high fiber content, chestnut is among the foods with a low glycemic index. In other words, it doesn't raise your blood sugar quickly and helps lower cholesterol levels.
- Every 100 gr. Chestnut has only 195 calories. In other words, you can easily consume fried chestnuts even if you are on a diet! Chestnut is also considered an important source of vitamin C, potassium, amino acids, magnesium, and antioxidants.
- Chestnut has the highest fatty acid content among nuts. Fatty acids are of great importance for cardiovascular health and neurological development of children. For the same reason, chestnut oil is considered one of the healthiest alternatives to sunflower oil.
- Chestnuts are gluten-free foods – just like almonds and hazelnuts. For this reason, chestnuts are included in almost every gluten-free food ingredient. Celiac patients can also safely consume chestnuts.
Chestnut; It can be consumed boiled, raw or fried. But if you are going to fry it, you need to make a few scratches beforehand so that the crust does not burst. You can store fruits and vegetables in the same place, chestnuts can be stored for several weeks without losing their freshness.
