Nutritious and tasty, the size of a walnut, the chestnut, now without its spiny mantle, remains shy and introspective, and is still protected by a leathery, dark brown shell which, when smoke-dried, is called pilonga. In this state it can be stored all year round.
Chestnut Festival in Arriondas
The parragian capital, Arriondas, for a long time now, it has turned the chestnut into an object of gastronomic cult, taking it out of its ostracism and the twists and turns. Every year, in mid-November, the popular organizes Chestnut Festival. The castañazu, as some know it in relation to the nightlife of this holiday weekend, has gathered crowds of fans during the day for more than 25 years.
XXXII Chestnut Festival 2023
The XXXII Contest of the…
A few tons of tasty chestnuts are sold at this event. It is one of the few commercial versions of a ritual: that of the collection of chestnut, which has hardly pursued other potential markets than those of home consumption. In reality, in the region there are no producers, but gatherers. The latter abound everywhere, anyone can be. All the fan of this fruit knows where to go to look for it in season. Going to the ghetto is going to pick up chestnuts from the ground along the roads or coves, or the chattering near the walled estates. The chestnut rite begins in a common place, it belongs to everyone, and ends in a common way too, in public and popular consumption.
There are initiatives, almost experimental, that try to focus the cultivation of chestnut to a future economy, based on the profitable marketing of chestnuts. This is the case in the center of La Toya, in Parres itself, where it is a question, first of all, of studying the prolific diseases that affect the chestnut tree and its subsequent harvest. The market to which we aspire begins caring and knowing the tree, overcoming the common epidemics that are taking hold of him, just as he began decades ago to take over the apple tree.
Be as it was, and waiting for the phytosanitary aspects to consolidate and the economy take the baton, the chestnut has been and continues to be a preferential apology for social acts or rituals of the Asturian autumn. The famous amagüestos they have been celebrated in all Asturian villages and villages since time immemorial. The chestnut came with the Romans to Asturias, and for a long time, before the arrival of the American potato, it was the main calorific nutrient in the winter. Something so important in the past diet can not go unnoticed in modern times no matter how varied the diet. Around the chestnut celebrate verbenas, some mass and tambourines, bagpipes and regional costumes. A tribute that comes from the soul to the Asturians.
Autumn of Amagüestos
Traditionally the chestnuts were heated on an iron, when they were still common in Asturian homes (previously the griddles of traditional kitchens were used for this purpose) and they also used to consume chestnut trunks. Amagüestos at home are accompanied with cider, usually sweet, and today they are usually celebrated in a community way, with friends, family or even organized by associations, groups or institutions.
Amagüestos in Asturias 2023
A deep-rooted tradition that floods…
This castañeda tradition has left a mark, in addition to Parres, in other numerous towns and Asturian municipalities as Candamo, Navelgas, LlanesEtc., etc.
The essence of this hobby is to look for it at the very core of the fruit, its intrinsic qualities. Qualities that are numerous and good for the organism: high carbohydrate content (40%), low fat (2-3%), high protein quality (5-10%), and no cholesterol. All associations and organizations interested in public health recommend it in the diet.
The Spanish chestnut, and with it the Asturian, is one of the most appreciated in the world for its flavor. Although entire continents, such as Australia, have long specialized in their commercialization, it can be said that they have done so by making them less tasty, using somewhat artificial conservation techniques that are far removed from the pilonga trick, cited here.
The gastronomy associated with chestnut It also goes beyond the almost rudimentary simplicity of amagüestos and makes it the queen of exquisite dishes that bear its name. Chestnut soup, for example, where they are mixed with chicken broth, celery, salt and pepper, lemon ... macaroni with chestnuts. As a sweet dessert: chestnut compote.
Be it in pure state or in sophisticated dishes, the chestnut hoards a high nutritional value and a social value that in regions like Asturias serve to perpetuate friendship and neighborhood ties with satisfied stomachs.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
