Where does the "Castaneae folium" come from, edible chestnuts and their properties

Chestnut noble Belongs to the family of "beech", and reaches a height of thirty meters. His homeland is the Mediterranean and the Balkan Peninsula. These trees can be found in different parts of the world. In China, Japan and the Middle East, they appeared thousands of years ago. In Europe, the chestnut grows in the parkland of Germany. In other territories it occurs in the oak forests in the wild. Blooms in May - June. Its shiny, brown fruits are encased in a brown shell with spines. They cook great meals. They belong to a variety of drupes. These trees grow slowly, the first fruits appear after fifteen years. Gourmets claim that they are really delicious, they become, only, in half a century.

Sweet, like polished, the fruits of noble chestnut are consumed since ancient times. They can be fried, boiled, and even eat raw. They are caloric, but in terms of fat content, they are inferior to walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Edible chestnuts have many minerals useful to the human body. They contain fiber and a set of vitamins A, B and C.

It is believed that for the first time edible chestnuts Appeared in the recipes of Northern Italy and Lombardy, then in France. In the autumn period they were the main food of European peasants. The dried fruit was ground into flour, bread and baked bread was baked from it. In the sixteenth century, in high mountain villages, Tuscan inhabitants for most of the year ate chestnuts and ate up to two kilograms of these nuts a day.

Edible chestnuts were known in America. The indigenous people of the continent added them to the roast, baked bread from them, and from the fried fruits a hot drink resembling coffee was brewed. In Japan, they were an integral part of the traditional New Year's menu. In Corsica, to the wedding table until now, they serve 22 dishes. Favorite Italian dessert is oatmeal with chestnuts, raisins, anise and pine nuts, baked and flavored with butter.

Before preparing these nuts, they must be cleaned from the shell. First, the peel is crosswise cut, then   Edible chestnuts boil for 5-7 minutes with the addition of vegetable oil. After that, the peel is easily removed. Purified fruits are boiled in a strong meat broth until they become soft. Mash in mashed potatoes and add eggs. An omelet is prepared from this mixture. You can fill it with red sauce. For this dish you will need three eggs, one hundred grams of chestnuts, three tablespoons of milk and two tablespoons of sauce.

Chestnuts with an apple and onion can be prepared as a side dish to a baked or fried duck. For this dish, you need 250 grams of onions, two apples, 40 grams of butter, a few spoonfuls of white wine and a hundred milliliters of chicken broth. Salt, pepper, marjoram to taste, plus half a kilogram of fruit. First you need to fry onion in butter, add chestnuts, mix and extinguish this mixture for ten minutes. Then we pour wine, broth, and sprinkle with dry marjoram. Let all this continue to stand on fire for another 20 minutes. After this time, put the cut apples into this garnish for another five minutes. At the end, the dish is peppered and salted. Delicious, healthy and low-calorie garnish is ready for use.

Not only the fruits of this famous and popular plant have found their application. The leaves of the chestnut tree are used for medicinal purposes. They contain ingredients that produce a healing effect. These include tannins, flavonoids and tri-terpene. Traditional medicine has been using the useful properties of chestnut for many years "Castaneae folium". Procurement of raw materials is carried out in the early autumn. Dried leaves are brewed and used as a hot tincture, which is considered a good remedy for pertussis, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases.