Have You Ever Roasted Chestnuts? We Did!! - 18th Century Cooking

Special thanks to Michael Dragoo for working on this video with us!

Instagram ➧ townsends_official

[sherriianiro]

True story. The first time I made them I couldn't remember if you cut a slit in them before or after you roast them, so I put them into the oven without cutting them first.
Everything was fine until they started to cool on the counter and suddenly it was
The 4th of July in the house with everyone being bombed and ducking behind the furniture! It was so funny that afterwards one of my guests had t-shirts made that said they survived Christmas at my house!

[angelhelp]

You mentioned chestnuts as street food. I’m old enough to remember walking in midtown Manhattan and seeing vendors of roasted chestnuts every few blocks. The wonderful smell would carry for at least a block despite the automotive exhaust fumes. No other street food was ever as tempting as the roasted chestnuts. Many decades later, my (grown) children and I roasted them in the oven, the only preparation being to slit the tops. Yum!

[mytimetravellingdog]

They are commonly eaten roasted in the UK in winter. You either get them whole in nets or ready peeled in a vaccuum sealed packs. Frying them with bacon lardons and brussel sprouts is a great way of serving them.

[CaptScrunch]

I love that short exchange "If you don't slice em what happens?" *Eyebrow raised* "They explode" so matter of fact deadpan belying the horror of nuts exploding and general mayhem.

[RovingBiologist]

Chestnuts store energy as a carbohydrate instead of a fat (oil) like most nuts. So if you roast them, the carbohydrates break down into simple sugars and creates that sweetness. It can also be dried and ground into flour much better than any of our more traditional nuts. In tuscany Italy, they use chestnut flour to make cakes.

[yomuyugi]

What an amazing video!
I'm from Portugal and over here it is tradition to roast chestnuts when Autumn starts, we still have street vendors who use pages from a newspaper to form cones and fill them with roasted chestnuts. I remember as a child watching my parents roast them in the oven and then spending time peeling them and how slightly sweet they were. It's so nostalgic watching you do that, I absolutely love this channel.

[chrishawkesford]

In the UK Roasted Chestnuts are very common at Christmas. What we do is cut the top off, cut the nut part way down the middle and soak overnight. Any nut that floats are bad and thrown away, the rest go in the pan with the Turkey and the cooking juices make them both soft and tasty.

[intergalacticmantv]

We have chestnut peddlers all around central streets in Turkey, it's very common especially in winter. They cook it for you and put them into a paper bag. You eat them just like eating cookies. Best place to eat them in Turkey is Bursa :) The city is also famous with chestnut candies. You're all welcome to try!

[kennethkuhl]

I grow a Chinese x American chestnut hybrid in South Georgia. I cure harvested nuts on a concrete floor inside a barn for about 3 weeks beginning in mid September. This process reduces the risk of rot, separates the meat from the shell, and improves flavor.
Next I refrigerate nuts in perforated produce bags for several months. When ready to roast, I place nuts on hard surface and strike with a rubber mallet to crack shell slightly, instead of cutting each nut with a knife. I roast them in frying pan with a perforated lid and I don't add anything. They are delicious.

[RustyDust]

In Germany roasted chestnuts are called Maronen. They are still very traditional on most Christmas markets, especially the Renaissance or medieval style Christmas markets. I am pretty certain that they are also widespread in Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
They are amazing at one of the Glühwein/ mulled wine stalls (Glühwein is literally "glow wine"). You get nice and toasty from both the wine and the roasted chestnuts that you still have to peel with your fingers. Imagine a cold, dark, gloomy late afternoon, strolling over a matket square, encompassed by half-timbered houses, and you come to rest next to a portable open fire stove, with chestnuts roasting. The lights of the stalls bathing the area in a soft glow, the comfy crackling of the fire, and the delicious smells of burning wood, mulled wine, and the chestnuts. That's tradition.

Greetz from a German in Hamburg.

[MrUhlus]

where i live (Austria 🇦🇹) roasting chestnuts is pretty popular, you can buy them already roasted at almoast all Christmas markets or raw in supermarkets in late autumn/early Winter. we even have an (electric) Chestnut roaster at home

[landmarkconstruction]

I am Portuguese from Boston MA and they are a HUGE Holiday staple for the holidays. We buy either the Portuguese or Italian ones, make a slice just about halfway, wet them, and salt liberally. Roast in oven and once you see the shell and pith separate, peel when absolutely adore

[Beehashe]

I grew up in NYC in the 60’s & 70’s there were push carts selling these all over town. My dad used to roast them in the fireplace. The trick is to make a small X not a long slice. This locks in the steam better!

[oldbutnotdead]

One of my favorite memories is getting roasted chestnuts across from Harrods one Christmas season when we were stationed in England. Neither my husband or our friend who was visiting from the states had ever had them. Little dusting of snow coming down, Harrods lit up like Santa's Workshop and a group of carollers adding to the wonderful, magical scene. I felt like I was in a Hallmark movie!

[tcunero]

I have been looking to buy an American chestnut and plant it on my property. Its a shame the blight killed so many of them off. So many Cities have a Chestnut street because the trees were so prominent. It would be great to see them make a comeback.

[temuchyn]

Hi John, tremendous video as always, plus always a pleasure to see Michael as a guest.
I'm French and when I was a child, every fall, we used to pick up chestnuts in the forest and grill them afterward. It's interesting to see that it's not as common as I thought it was. Here, in late autumn, it's not rare to see street vendors in cities roasting chestnuts on little fires.
And for a Christmas/winter delicacy from South of France I recommend everyone to check "marron glacé" (we also eat "crème de marron" wich I don't even know how to describe, it's pure chesnut and sugar with a touch of vanilla, the texture would be halfway between jam and peanut butter I'd say)
Now I'm hungry for chesnuts, thanks !
And thanks a lot for your beautiful channel.

[davidsinclair]

Such a wholesome channel! Helps me pretend for a bit that the world is not dark

[jamesellsworth]

I HAVE roasted chestnuts. I have also worked in downtown Philadelphia, PA where roasted chestnuts were a seasonal street food, along with the more widely available soft pretzels. Your descriptions were spot-on.

[j.j.savalle]

our first time having chestnuts was 10 years in Italy on vacation from a street vendor who was cooking them over a hardwood grill. the entire family was hooked. since them we can thankfully find them in our local stores and are now a holiday tradition for us. Great episode and reminder it time to go get some for this coming weekend! Thx Townsends!

[dwhallon]

Thank you doing this. Everyone has heard the song, but many of us haven't experienced chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Someone had to try this out, and you guys did. I am so proud of you for venturing out there for us. May we all learn from what you have done. Again, many thanks