Today in our peaceful German class, we learned about Fall and about chestnuts (Kastanie or Maronen). There are many varieties, not all are edible. Some have spiky shells, some are bristly. The bristly ones are edible. Chestnut trees line the streets here and the nuts fall to the ground from October to November. It’s hard not to step on them, and cars crunch them as they pass.
The edible ones look like exploded little hedgehogs! These edible chestnuts have been grown in Palatinate, a region in southwest Germany, since Roman times.
The edible ones have a pointed top.
When you roast them in the oven, or over a fire, they split open. The nut meat inside is tasty, it tastes a bit like potato.
Most of the chestnut trees we see (everywhere) are horse chestnuts (inedible). Sis. Enger’s neighbor has an edible chestnut tree and so we all went out to pick up a few to try.
You can read more about chestnut traditions in Germany here.
Our Frankfurt Germany Mission 