Also known as: Goliyam.
Description:
Chestnuts are sweet, edible seeds or nuts of the chestnut tree. Chestnuts must be peeled and their bitter inner skin removed. Chestnuts have two main uses, firstly as a food source and secondly for timber. The timber is also highly valued. Fresh chestnuts are available from September through February. The chestnut belongs to the same family as the oak and beech.
Commonly used in:
It is eaten smoked, boiled, raw, roasted as snacks. It is steamed and often used as vegetables in Chinese stir-fries. Chestnut paste is used in desserts. It is ground as a flour and eaten during fasts in India. It is used in soups, a vanilla flavoured spread, pureed and accompaniments to meats, especially, in stuffing and other recipes. They are used in savory and sweet dishes.
Health benefit:
They are relatively high in calories; contain less fat but are rich in minerals, vitamins and phyto-nutrients that benefit health. Chestnuts are high in protein, and fat, a good source of dietary fiber, rich in vitamin-C, rich in folates, rich source of mono-unsaturated fats like oleic acid, rich in many important B-complex groups of vitamins and vitamin A.
