Despite their classification as nuts, which tend to contain high levels of fat, chestnuts are actually surprisingly healthy. Unlike other nuts they chestnuts have a high water content, about 50% and very little oil, which makes them virtually fat free. (1-2%, while other nuts can be over 50% fat) They contain complex carbohydrates but are free of gluten and cholesterol. Nutritionally, they are similar to brown rice and have been described as “a grain that grows on a tree.”
The chestnut bounty comes but once a year. They grow on chestnut trees, which should not be confused with horse-chestnut trees, which produce the poisonous conkers. Whereas conkers are completely round, chestnuts have a point at the top of the nut. They mature in a burr, a prickly case, which when ripe splits open, allowing the chestnut to fall to the ground, where it awaits collection before being cooked to perfection.