Roasted chestnut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roasted chestnut

Alternative names	Castanhas assadas, chǎolìzi, gunbam
Place of origin	Various
Main ingredients	Chestnuts
Similar dishes	Roasted sweet potato

Roasted chestnut is a popular autumn and winter street food in East Asia, Europe, and New York City. Asian chestnuts (Castanea crenata, C. mollissima) as well as European chestnuts (C. sativa) can be used.

Asia

China

In China, chǎolìzi (炒栗子; "stir-fried chestnut") is a popular autumn street food. Because they are roasted with sand and sweet syrup, they are also called tángchǎolìzi (糖炒栗子; "sugar stir-fried chestnut").

Korea

Gunbam (군밤; "roasted chestnut") is a popular street food in both North and South Korea. The food is sold from late autumn to winter by the vendors wearing ushanka, which is sometimes referred to as "roasted chestnut vendor hat" or "roasted sweet potato vendor hat". A popular folk song called Gunbam taryeong (군밤타령; "ballad of roasted chestnuts") was composed by Jeon Su-rin in 1932, and has been sung since, being one of the songs commonly taught in public schools in South Korea.

Europe and New York City

Portugal and Spain

Roasted chestnuts are popular street food in Portugal. Called castanhas assadas ("roasted chestnuts") in Portuguese, it is sold around November, when Dia de São Martinho (St. Martin's Day) is celebrated across the country. Traditionally, newly harvested chestnuts are eaten around a bonfire on this day.

In some cities of Spain, during the winter period, portable grills are prepared with the intention of selling the roasted chestnuts in street stalls. In this case, the chestnuts are sold in paper cones (generally made from newspaper sheets). The tradition of the Magosto (roast chestnuts) is a tradition in the Iberian Peninsula.

Austria

The Maronistand is a small booth where a street vendor offers roasted Maroni ("edible chestnuts" in local German) and potato-based hot snacks cooked in and on portable metal drums. Such outlets appear in the colder seasons and are a common sight at, for example, Viennese Christmas markets.

New York City

Roasted chestnuts are sold as street food primarily in Manhattan. Though they've been sold regularly for well over a century, the major consumers are primarily tourists, not residents. Once common, they've become less so. They're sold ($3-$4 a bag) starting either at the beginning of autumn, or when the first chill sets in – about the end of September, or early October, until early spring. The few vendors who currently sell them say they mostly sell to tourists around the Christmas holidays.

Gallery

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  castañas asadas in Galicia, Spain

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  caau²leot⁶zi² in Hong Kong, China

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  gunbam in Korea

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  castagnata in Italy

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  castanhas assadas in Portugal

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  roasted chestnut vendor in China

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  roasted chestnut vendor in Portugal

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  roasted chestnut vendor in Turkey

See also

In Spanish: Castañas asadas para niños