Today is National Roasted Chestnuts Day. So, cue the music and let’s sing. Wait. Before we get to the singing, let’s talk chestnuts.
The Plant
Chestnuts have been around for over 4,000 years. And, as you might guess from the song lyrics, they are edible nuts. Native to the Northern Hemisphere, there are nine different species. The four most common chestnut trees found around the world are the American, the European, the Japanese, and the Chinese. Their nuts vary in appearance and taste. Compared to the American chestnuts, Japanese have a slightly bitter flavor, while the Chinese have a starchier texture. And American chestnuts have a higher fat content then the European (10% to 4%), and so have a richer taste and texture.
Did You Know…
- The word for chestnut was originally Castanea. The Latin Castanea became Chastain in Old French, then chesten nut in English, before finally ending as chestnut.
- The Latin word Castanea may have come from the ancient Greek town of Casthanaea, one of the few places in Greece where chestnut trees grow.
- Chestnut trees like cold temperatures. Frost and snow help them produce better seeds.
- Depending on the species, a chestnut tree can have a lifespan of 200 to 800 years. The Hundred-Horse Chestnut Tree in Sicily, Italy, is the world’s largest and oldest, at 2,000-4,000 years.
- China is the world’s leading producer of chestnuts, producing 80% of the global supply. Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Italy round out the top five chestnut producing nations.
- The US produces less than 1% of the world’s supply of chestnuts.
- As of 2024, the U.S. is importing 7.5 million pounds of non-organic chestnuts each year.
Food and Benefits
Roasting chestnuts brings out their natural sweetness. They make a nutritious snack, while appeasing the craving for sweets. Even better, chestnuts are relatively low in calories and fat. They do have high amounts of carbohydrates, mostly sugar instead of fiber, so they don’t have a lot of nutrients. But while they contain only moderate amounts of nutrients like vitamin A and B, zinc, iron, and others, they are rich in Vitamin C.
Chestnuts provide many health benefits. They help reduce cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels, as well as lower the risk of gastrointestinal complications. The B vitamins they contain promote healthy skin, increased brain function, and production of red blood cells. Their carbohydrates increase energy levels. And like other nuts, chestnuts are gluten-free, help strengthen bones, and aid in reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease.
Did You Know…
- Some compare the taste of chestnuts to sweet potatoes.
- In southern Europe, Turkey, and Asia, chestnuts have been a staple food for millennia.
- In France, Italy, and Japan, chestnuts are food for the poor.
- Chestnuts are the only nut that contains vitamin C.
The History
First Alexander the Great, then the Romans, planted chestnut trees across Europe. Ancient Greeks wrote about chestnuts and their medicinal properties. Before the potato, forest-dwelling communities relied on chestnuts as their main source of carbohydrates. That applied to any area where cereals—edible grains like rice, wheat, rye, and oats—wouldn’t grow. Chestnuts weren’t just a nut, it’s how countless peoples survived.
In North America, Native Americans were eating American chestnuts long before Europeans arrived and introduced the European chestnut. Along the Eastern U.S., the American chestnut was a staple food and timber source. In places like the Appalachian Mountains, one-quarter of the hardwood trees were chestnuts. Mature trees averaged five feet in diameter and grew straight and branch-free for 50-100 feet. For almost three hundred years, most homes and barns east of the Mississippi River were built with chestnut wood. Then, in the early twentieth century, chestnut blight fungus arrived on some imported Asian chestnut trees. Within 40 years, the blight had destroyed nearly all four billion of North America’s American chestnut trees.
Efforts to repopulate the country with American chestnuts began in the 1930s and are still ongoing today. Yet, the number of trees planted in the last almost one hundred years aren’t enough to meet the U.S.’s demand for chestnuts.
Did You Know…
- Early Christians symbolized chastity with chestnuts.
- It’s hard to say exactly when roasting chestnuts began, but historians believe it was sometime during the sixteenth century. Likewise, no one can pinpoint the exact date or place the tradition of roasting them for the holidays began.
The Song
Speaking of roasting chestnuts…it’s time to talk music, specifically The Christmas Song. It all began on a hot July day in 1945. Nineteen-year-old musician, singer, and composer, Mel Tormé drove to his co-writer’s house to write songs. When he arrived and went inside, there was no sign of twenty-two-year-old songwriter and composer, Robert Wells. However, a spiral pad on the piano drew Mel’s gaze. On it were penciled four lines:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
When Bob finally joined Mel, Mel asked him about the lines he’d written. Bob explained he’d been trying to stay cool. In desperation, he’d written the lines hoping if he thought cool, maybe he’d feel cool. It hadn’t worked, but Mel thought the lines worked for a song.
They wrote more lyrics, and Mel combined them with a melody that had been running through his head for over a week. Forty minutes after they started, one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written, The Christmas Song (a.k.a. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) was completed.
They drove to their publishing company. The lackluster response they received there didn’t discourage them. They continued to the home of up-and-coming singer and pianist, Nat King Cole and played it for him. As they ended the song, Nat said, “Play it again!” They did. Well, they tried. They didn’t make it all the way through a second time before he interrupted them, saying, “STOP! That’s MY song!” His busy schedule prevented him from recording it for a year, but in 1946, just before the holidays, Nat released the song that would become his biggest hit.
Did You Know…
- The Christmas Song was originally subtitled Merry Christmas to You.
Last Notes
Since Nat King Cole recorded the song, it’s been performed and recorded by many singers. From Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and Frank Sinatra to The Carpenters, Christina Aguilera, Michael Bublé, and Pentatonix, this Christmas song is a must. After researching this DYK, I think eating some roasted chestnuts is a must, too.
Did You Know…
- Nat King Cole recorded The Christmas Song four times, 1946 (twice), 1953, and 1961.
- In 1974, Nat King Cole’s 1946 original recording of The Christmas Song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
- In 2022, the Library of Congress selected Nat King Cole’s 1961 recording of The Christmas Song to be preserved in the U.S. National Recording Registry for it’s cultural, historical, or aesthetical significance.