Chestnuts 栗子, nutrition and benefits

Chestnuts 栗子 are good sources of Vitamin B1, B2 - with sources claiming that Vitamin B2 in chestnuts is 4x more then rice.

Slit a cross "X" before roasting in the oven

Chestnuts also contain essential minerals such as potassium (particularly high in potassium , said to be 4x more than apples!), magnesium, iron, zinc and manganese that maintain overall health;

Considered "heaty" food plus as a good source of vitamins (B1, B2, C) and minerals, chestnuts also help to strengthen the kidney (补肾) and improve blood circulation (活血) especially beneficial in the cold weather (fall and winter) as it nourishes and balances the "yin".


The flip side of chestnuts being high in carbohydrates brings caution to those with diabetic conditions, so, do not overindulge.

If you are thinking of buying raw whole chestnuts then cook and shell them, you can check out TasteHongKong.com for cooking/shelling tips.

For the sake of experience, I did try to roast my own. BUT, I don't think I want to do it again as it takes too much time and is kinda messy if not skilful/experienced.

 Next time, I will use these vacuum-packed peeled and cooked chestnuts.




Left: whole chestnuts; right: cooked and vacuumed packed chestnuts


Tag: chestnuts

An Escape to Food on Facebook