Chestnut pie facts for kids
Chestnut pie is a yummy pie made mostly with chestnuts! It's a popular dish in Italy and also in the Southern USA. People have been making it since the 1400s in Italy. You can use whole, chopped, boiled, or roasted chestnuts. Sometimes, they even use a smooth chestnut purée. Chestnut pies can be either savory (not sweet) or sweet, like a dessert!
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The History of Chestnut Pie
Chestnut pie has a long and interesting history. It was first written about in Italy way back in the 15th century (the 1400s).
Early Italian Recipes
One of the first mentions of chestnut pie was in a book called De honesta voluptate et valetudine. This book was written by an Italian writer named Bartolomeo Platina. He was also a gastronomist, which means he studied food and cooking.
Platina's recipe was called torta ex castaneís. It explained how to make the pie using chestnuts that were boiled and then ground up. He suggested grinding them with a mortar and pestle and adding milk. Then, the mixture was strained. After that, ingredients for a spelt tart were added. Platina even suggested using saffron to give the pie a nice color.
16th Century Cooking
Later, in the 16th century (the 1500s), another famous Italian chef, Bartolomeo Scappi, wrote about chestnut pie. His book, Opera dell'arte del cucinare, focused on Italian Renaissance cooking. Scappi's recipe used both dried and fresh chestnuts. He even suggested picking chestnuts that weren't fully ripe, usually in August.
Later Recipes
In 1858, a recipe for a sweet chestnut pie was found. It used chestnuts that were glazed with orange flowers. These special chestnuts were then placed inside the pie. A savory (not sweet) chestnut pie recipe from 1908 included shelled chestnuts, Spanish onion, haricot stock, salt, and pepper.
Types of Chestnut Pie
Chestnut pies can be made in two main ways: savory or sweet.
Savory Chestnut Pie
Savory chestnut pies are not sweet. They can be made with many different ingredients. Some common additions include mushrooms, garlic, onion, celery, leeks, and butternut squash. A recipe from 1915 used boiled and shelled chestnuts, canned mushrooms, a white sauce, and a biscuit dough.
Sweet Chestnut Pie
Sweet chestnut pies are like desserts. They can be made as a cream pie. Sometimes, chocolate is added to make them even sweeter. Sweet chestnut pies are often served with whipped cream on top!
