During October and September, in Tuscany region, you can see local people out in the woods, collecting chestnuts. Very big area of Tuscany region is still covered in Castagna forest, which was in history, one of the main economic sources.
The Chestnut takes its name, Castanea, from a town of the name of Castanis in Thessaly, near where the tree grew in great abundance. It has the same name in different forms in all the European languages. During the chestnut time, almost on every corner in the towns and villages of Tuscany you can see special pans for roasting the chestnut for sale, and you can feel that nice sweet smell. From October to December, chestnut festivals taking place in whole Tuscany region, keeping and preserving old tradition.

Chestnuts can be eaten fresh, roasted, steamed, boiled or micro-waved. One way to prepare them is to crack the shells and microwave for about 3 minutes. Chestnuts are used in dressings, soups, stews, and with vegetables, or in pastries, tortes and ice cream. Chestnut flour is also an important ingredient in cakes, breads and pasta.

RECIPE Cream of Chestnut Soup

Ingredients: 3 tbsp. butter, 1 stalk celery 1 medium carrot, 1 medium onion 1/4 C parsley, chopped, 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 bay leaf (to be removed later) 6 C chicken broth 12 oz. cooked, peeled chestnuts (1 lb fresh in the shell) 1/4 C heavy cream, 1/4 tsp pepper Salt to taste Method: Cut the celery, carrot and onion into small pieces and process in a food processor. Melt the butter in a 3 qt. saucepan. Add the celery, carrot and onion. Sauté about 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts, broth, parsley, cloves and bay leaf to the veggies. Bring to a boil; then simmer for 30-45 minutes covered. Puree the soup in small quantities in a blender and put into another pan. Stir in the cream, salt and pepper and reheat over medium heat until warm. You may want to garnish with a bit of parsley.

RECIPE Salmon And Rice With Chestnuts

Ingredients: 1 C basmati rice, 2 C water 4 salmon steaks, 2 tbsp butter Chestnut garnish: 1 lb fresh chestnut (peeled and chopped) 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tbsp chopped parsley Method: Rice -- Bring 2 C water to a boil. Add the rice, cover and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes. When done, add half the chestnut mixture and stir well. Garnish with a bit of chopped parsley. Salmon -- Melt 2 tbsp of the butter and brush lightly on both sides of each salmon steak. Grill or BBQ until done. Time varies depending on the thickness of the steaks - typically about 10 min. Garnish with half of the chestnut mixture. Chestnut Garnish - Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet and add the chopped chestnuts and brown sugar. Saute until nuts are golden.